About Photedes fluxa Hübner, 1809
Chortodes fluxa, commonly known as the mere wainscot, is a species of moth belonging to the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1809, and its scientific name is also cited as Photedes fluxa Hübner, 1809. This moth is found in Europe, and ranges east across the Palearctic to Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China. It also occurs in northern Turkey and the Caucasus. The forewing is rufous, dusted with greyish white; the rufous colouring is clearer along the two folds. The costa and veins are dotted grey and ochreous. The orbicular and reniform spots match the ground colour of the wing and have pale outlines: the orbicular is round or elliptical, and the lower lobe of the reniform spot is dark. The outer line is marked by a curved row of dark, pale-tipped spots on the veins. The hindwing is pale greyish luteous. The form hellmanni Ev., by which this species was previously known, is sandy ochreous, dusted with darker colour, and has very little to no red tinge. The aberration pulverosa ab. nov. has very heavy grey dusting, the spots of the outer line are obsolete, and the veins are dark. The larva is bone-coloured, with a reddish tinge on the dorsal side, and is whiter on the underside. Its spiracles are black, the head is glossy and yellowish brown, and the thoracic and anal plates are paler. The wingspan of this moth ranges from 26 to 30 millimetres (1.0 to 1.2 in). Adults fly from July to August, with flight timing varying by location. Larvae feed low down inside the stems of Calamagrostis epigejos in marshy districts, and pupate inside a slight cocoon in the ground.
