About Xestia xanthographa (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
The forewing of Xestia xanthographa is dull brown. The upper stigmata have pale annuli; the reniform stigma is sometimes entirely pale, and the orbicular stigma is round. The claviform stigma is absent. The hindwing is ochreous white: in males it is only suffused with fuscous towards the termen, while this fuscous suffusion extends more broadly in females. A number of named color forms exist. In the aberration ab. budensis Frr., the ground color of the wing is grey. In ab. elutior Alph., the forewings are more brightly colored, appearing cinnamon brown or yellowish grey. In ab. palaestinensis Kalchb., which is currently recognized as the full species Xestia palaestinensis (Kalchberg, 1897), the ground color is paler and all markings are more distinct. Aberrations ab. obscura Tutt and ab. nigra Tutt are the reddish black and greyish black forms found in northern Scotland; their stigmata are sometimes clear, other times almost obsolete, and their hindwings are also blackish. The forms rufescens Tutt and rufa Tutt are simply minor color varieties of the species.
