| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Adults. Nocturnal; relatively stout-bodied. Antennae of males bipectinate; bipectinate to the apex. Face rough (with dense, projecting scales). Tongue fully developed, or absent.
Wingspan 40–46 mm. The outer margin of the forewing slightly sigmoid-curved, or convexly curved; scalloped (less so than in Odontopera). Forewings pale ochreous or cream, with dark first and second lines enclosing a shaded-brownish median band and a blackish, sometimes pale-centred discal spot; with a clear discal mark. The discal mark conspicuously pale-centred and dark-ringed, or not dark-ringed. Forewings with a distinct median band to without a median band (the band somewhat darker, but lighter in the middle). Forewings of the male without a fovea. Hindwings plain; coloured like the forewings, or paler; with a clear discal mark. The discal mark not dark-ringed. Hindwings transversely lined (with a faint median line), or without transverse lines.
Hindwings lacking a tubular vein 5. 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 separate.
Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on foliage of Corylus, Prunus spinosa, 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 (common). Living adults found July and August. C. elinguaria (Scalloped Oak).
Subfamily. Ennominae.
Illustrations. • Ennominae (‘Thorns’, etc.): Kirby 46. ENNOMINAE. 1, Ennomos quercinaria (August Thorn); 2, Ennomos autumnaria (Large Thorn); 3, Ennomos alniaria (Canary-shouldered Thorn); 4, Ennomos erosaria (September Thorn); 5, Selenia dentaria (Early Thorn); 6, Selenia lunularia (Lunar Thorn); 7, Selenia tetralunaria (Purple Thorn); 8, Apeira syringaria (Lilac Beauty); 9, Artiora evonymaria; 10, Odontopera bidentata (Scalloped Hazel); 11, Colotois pennaria (Feathered Thorn); 12, Crocallis elinguaria (Scalloped Oak); 13, Plagodis dolabraria (Scorch-wing); 14, Angerona prunaria (Orange Moth); 15, Ourapteryx sambucaria (Swallow-tailed Moth); 16, Opisthograptis luteolata (Brimstone Moth). From Kirby 36, with updated names. • Assorted Ennominae (‘Thorns’, with larvae): Humphreys, 1860. ‘THORNS’. 1 & 2, Colotois pennaria (Feathered Thorn); 3 & 4, Crocallis elinguaria (Scalloped Oak); 5 & 6, Odontopera bidentata (Scalloped Hazel); 7, Ennomos autumnaria (Large Thorn); 8 & 9, Ennomos alniaria (Canary-shouldered Thorn); 10 & 11, Ennomos erosaria (September Thorn); 12 & 13, Ennomos quercinaria (August Thorn); 14, Selenia tetralunaria (Purple Thorn). From Humphreys (1860). • Crocallis elinguaria (Scalloped Oak): photo, Giles Watson. Crocallis elinguaria (Scalloped Oak, male). Godstow Priory, Wolvercote, Oxford, July 2008. Giles Watson.
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’.
