Euxoa cursoria

{{Short description|Species of moth}} {{Speciesbox | name = Coast dart | image = Euxoa_cursoria_f.jpg | image_caption = female | image2 = Euxoa_cursoria_m.jpg | image2_caption = male | taxon = Euxoa cursoria | authority = [[Johann Siegfried Hufnagel|Hufnagel]], 1766 | synonyms = *''Phalaena cursoria'' *''Euxoa wirima'' }}

'''''Euxoa cursoria''''', the '''coast dart''', is a [[moth]] of the family [[Noctuidae]]. It is found in northern and central Europe as well as the coastal regions of the [[British Isles]], central [[Siberia]], [[Mongolia]], [[Tibet]] and [[Afghanistan]]. The subspecies ''Euxoa cursoria wirima'' is found in [[Canada]].

==Technical description and variation==

{{Entomology glossary hatnote}} [[Image:Euxoa cursoria.jpg|thumb|230px|left|''Euxoa cursoria'' set specimen]] Forewing sandy ochreous, often much suffused and speckled with brownish grey; claviform stigma absent, or with dark outline only; orbicular and reniform with dark centres and pale rings, the lower lobe of reniform always deeper; sometimes the cell, the claviform, and a basal streak before it are dark olive brown; hindwing dull greyish ochreous with fuscous termen and pale cilia; a variable insect ab. ''obscura'' Stgr. has the forewings almost wholly red-brown, the stigmata with white rings, and occurs on the shores of the Baltic; -ab. ''currens'' Stgr. has both wings dark; — while ab.''vaga'' Stgr. is uniform brownish grey; - lastly, ab. ''sagittata'' Stgr. is a more variegated form, with red-brown suffusion and little dusting, and the costal streak, the upper stigmata, and the postmedian area whitish; the three last are Central Asian; specimens from [[Asia Minor]] have the hindwings wholly white.<ref>Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914</ref> ''Euxoa cursoria'' is difficult to certainly distinguish from its congeners. See Townsend et al.<ref>Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). [https://butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Difficult_species_guide_page_44.pdf ''British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species'']. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.</ref> *''[[Euxoa obelisca]]'' ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) *''[[Euxoa tritici]]'' (Linnaeus, 1761) *''[[Euxoa nigricans]]'' (Linnaeus, 1761) [[Image:Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateLXXI.jpg|thumb|140px|left|Figs 7, 7a, 7b, 7c larva after last moult]]

==Biology== This moth flies from July to September depending on the location.

Larva pale ochreous tinged with greenish; the lines paler, edgedwith grey-green; the head pale ochreous. The [[larva]]e feed on various sandhill plants, including ''[[Honckenya peploides]]'' and ''[[Elytrigia juncea]]'', as well as ''[[Elymus arenarius]]'', ''[[Rumex]]'', ''[[Atriplex littoralis]]'', ''[[Minuartia pebloides]]'', ''[[Cakile maritima]]'', ''[[Lathyrus maritimus]]'' and ''[[Asparagus]]''. .<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/hostplants/ |title= Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.}}</ref>

==Subspecies== *''Euxoa cursoria cursoria'' *''Euxoa cursoria wirima'' <small>Hardwick, 1965</small> (Canada)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Euxoa cursoria}} *[http://www.lepiforum.de/cgi-bin/lepiwiki.pl?Euxoa_Cursoria Lepiforum] *[http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/noctuoidea/noctuidae/noctuinae/euxoa/index.html Funet] Taxonomy *[https://fauna-eu.org Fauna Europaea] *[https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=2083 UKmoths]

[[Category:Euxoa]] [[Category:Moths of Europe]] [[Category:Moths of North America]] [[Category:Moths described in 1766]] [[Category:Taxa named by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel]]