| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Adults. Crepuscular to nocturnal (the males commonly attracted to light); with fully developed wings, or flightless. The flightless females apterous (spider-like). Antennae of males dentate (serrate); long fasciculate-ciliate. Face smooth.
Wingspan 34–38 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved to more or less straight. Forewings dingy fuscous-brown; with a clear discal mark (this dark fuscous, linear). Hindwings plain; pale whitish fuscous; with a clear discal mark; transversely lined (with a faint, pale, sometimes faintly dark-edged zigzag median line).
Vein 10 of the forewings arising independently of 9. Hindwings exhibiting a tubular vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings arising from below the middle of the transverse vein. Vein 8 of the hindwings approximated to or anastomosed with the upper margin of the cell to the middle or beyond. Hindwing veins 6 and 7 stalked.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on foliage of Quercus, Ulmus, etc.
British representation. 1 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Living adults found March and April. A. aescularia (March Moth).
Subfamily. Alsophilinae.
Illustrations. • Agriopis, Alsophila, Apocheima, Erannis, Lycia: Newman. 1a-b, Apocheima hispidaria (Small Brindled Beauty, male and apterous female); 2a-b, Phigalia pilosaria (Pale Brindled Beauty, male and apterous female); 3a-b, Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty, male and vestigially-winged female); 4, Lycia hirtaria (Brindled Beauty); 5a-c, Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher, males and vestigially-winged female); 6a-b, Agriopis marginaria (Dotted Border, male and vestigially-winged female); 7a-b, Agriopis aurantiaria, male and vestigially-winged female); 8a-c, Erannis defoliaria (Mottled Umber, males and apterous female); 9a-b, Alsophila aescularia (March Moth, male and apterous female). From Newman, 1869. • Oenochrominae and Ennominae: Kirby 47. OENOCHROMINAE. 17, Alsophila aescularia (March Moth). ENNOMINAE. 1, Epione vespertaria (Dark Bordered Beauty); 2, Epione repandaria (Bordered Beauty); 3, Cepphis advenaria (Little Thorn); 4, "Hypoplectis adspersaria", = ?; 5, Pseudopanthera macularia (Speckled Yellow); 6, Eilicrinia cordiaria; 7, Semiothisa alternaria (Sharp-angled Peacock); 8, Semiothisa signaria ; 9, Semiothisa liturata (Tawny Barred Angle); 10, cf. Epirrhanthis diversata; 11, Theria primaria (Early Moth); 12, Agriopis bajaria; 13, Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher); 14, Agriopis aurantiaria (Scarce Umber); 15, Agriopis marginaria (Dotted Border); 16, Erannis defoliaria (Mottled Umber); 18, Phigalia pilosaria (Pale Brindled Beauty); 19, Apocheima hispidaria (Small Brindled Beauty); 20, Lycia pomonaria; 21, Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty); 22, Lycia hirtaria (Brindled Beauty); 23, Biston strataria (Oak Beauty); 24, Biston betularia (Peppered Moth); 25, Menophra abruptaria (Waved Umber); 26, "Nychiodes lividaria", cf. Eunychiodes amygdalaria?. From Kirby 47, with updated names. • Forewing and hindwing neuration: A. aescularia and other Geometridae.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 14th February 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
