The Spectacle

Abrostola tripartita · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Spectacle

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
The Spectacle
Photo: Donald Hobern, CC BY

The Spectacle moth has forewings that are whitish-grey on the base and outer edge, with a darker grey-brown central area, and a distinctive whitish-grey, black-ringed mark on the front of the thorax. It lives across much of the Palearctic region, including most of Europe (except Iceland), Russia, Siberia, the Amur area, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and its caterpillars feed on nettles (Urtica species).

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Forewings have whitish-grey basal and outer margins with fine darker grey mottling; the central area is grey-brown with darker brown spots. A whitish-grey, black-ringed “spectacle” mark appears in front of the thorax, and the raised scales on the wing crosslines and central area are especially distinct.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The larvae feed on plants of the nettle genus Urtica.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range covers most of Europe (except Iceland) and extends into Russia, Siberia, the Amur area, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

The Spectacle photo 3
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrostola_tripartita

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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