Xestia xanthographa
(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) · speciesAt a glance
Sources9 archives
Databases and archives Xestia xanthographa's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation5 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility446 184 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI601 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics244 specimens↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinegenome & karyotype↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
The square-spot rustic (Xestia xanthographa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa and east across the Palearctic (excluding China) and in North America. Larva The species is quite variable in appearance, the forewings occurring in various shades of grey or brown, with melanic forms common in parts of its range. The best identifying feature is the large, pale, squarish stigma which gives the species its common name. The hindwings are pale to dark grey with a whitish fringe. The wingspan is 30–40 mm.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Diet & foraging2
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Xestia xanthographa has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Xestia xanthographa carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Record type446 184 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions27 of 75 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| DanishLepidopterologicalSocietylocation not on record | 2 528 |
| Helsinki, FI | 1 089 |
| Zürich, CH | 460 |
| NTNU-VMlocation not on record | 329 |
| Oregon State Arthropod Collectionlocation not on record | 215 |
| Bern, CH | 195 |
| Muzeum Górnośląskie w Bytomiulocation not on record | 189 |
| NHMOlocation not on record | 187 |
| Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record | 175 |
| UMUlocation not on record | 172 |
| Geneva, CH | 133 |
| Naturmuseum St. Gallenlocation not on record | 108 |
| Naturéum — Muséum cantonal des sciences naturelles, Lausanne, Département Zoologielocation not on record | 104 |
| Tartu, EE | 103 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 98 |
| Archäologie und Museum Baselland - Museum.BLlocation not on record | 84 |
| Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausenlocation not on record | 67 |
| Musee d'Histoire Naturallelocation not on record | 62 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 60 |
| Frauenfeld, CH | 58 |
| NMOKlocation not on record | 56 |
| SFRAlocation not on record | 55 |
| CBDClocation not on record | 55 |
| Paro, BT | 51 |
| Philadelphia, US | 47 |
| Zoological Museum of the University of Chittagong, Bangladeshlocation not on record | 47 |
| Salzburg, AT | 46 |
| University of Alberta Museums (UAM)location not on record | 42 |
| ZMAAlocation not on record | 41 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 41 |
| Tallinn, EE | 38 |
| Kuopio, FI | 37 |
| Museo civico di Storia naturale Giacomo Doria di Genova | Giacomo Doria Natural History Museum in Genoalocation not on record | 36 |
| MZLUlocation not on record | 35 |
| Dhaka, BD | 34 |
| Stockholm, SE | 31 |
| Naturama Aargaulocation not on record | 31 |
| DABUHlocation not on record | 30 |
| Winterthur, CH | 28 |
| Fribourg, CH | 27 |
| Podgorica, ME | 25 |
| Universität Zürich, Naturhistorisches Museumlocation not on record | 24 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 22 |
| Sion, CH | 21 |
| Nijmegen, NL | 20 |
| John May Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record | 15 |
| Brussels, BE | 14 |
| Glarus, CH | 13 |
| ZSMlocation not on record | 9 |
| Naturmuseum Oltenlocation not on record | 8 |
| New Haven, US | 8 |
| NCMGlocation not on record | 8 |
| WWUlocation not on record | 6 |
| BioFokuslocation not on record | 5 |
| University of Guelph, Centre for Biodiversity Genomicslocation not on record | 5 |
| Uniwersytet Łódzkilocation not on record | 5 |
| Metsähallituslocation not on record | 5 |
| Vernal, US | 4 |
| San Diego, US | 3 |
| Philosophical Societylocation not on record | 3 |
| South Kensington, GB | 3 |
| NMBU:MINAlocation not on record | 2 |
| Banyoles, ES | 2 |
| KSTRlocation not on record | 2 |
| Bavarian State Collection of Zoologylocation not on record | 2 |
| Natural History Museum, Londonlocation not on record | 2 |
| neflocation not on record | 2 |
| Radicondoli, IT | 2 |
| KSSlocation not on record | 1 |
| Research Collection of Jari-Pekka Kaitilalocation not on record | 1 |
| Centre for Biodiversity Genomicslocation not on record | 1 |
| SNSB-Zoologische Staatssammlung Münchenlocation not on record | 1 |
| Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Trondheim, NO | 1 |
| University of Oslo, Natural History Museumlocation not on record | 1 |
Where the DNA of Xestia xanthographa was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.