| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Adults. Antennae of males dentate; simply-ciliate. Face smooth.
Wingspan 29–34 mm. Forewings 1.7–1.8 times as long as wide. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved, or sigmoid-curved. Forewings green; without a clear discal mark. The outer margin of the hindwings angled. Hindwings conspicuously patterned (via a chequered marginal line); green; predominantly green when fresh; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (the first line faint or absent).
Vein 10 of the forewings arising out of vein 9. Hindwings exhibiting a tubular vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings arising from well above the middle of the transverse vein. Vein 8 of the hindwings shortly anastomosed basally with the upper margin of the cell, thence rapidly diverging. Hindwing veins 6 and 7 stalked.
Posterior tibiae of males 2-spurred (likewise the female).
Early stages. Larvae feeding on first on various low-growing plants, the after hibernation on foliage of birch, blackthorn, oak and other deciduous trees and shrubs. Pupae above the ground (in a loose silken cocoon spun amongst the foliage of the food-plant).
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 June and July. H. aestivaria (Common Emerald).
Subfamily. Geometrinae.
Illustrations. • Geometrinae (‘Emeralds’): Kirby 44 (part). GEOMETRINAE. 12, Aplasta ononaria (Rest Harrow); 13, Chlorissa viridata (Small Grass Emerald); 14, Pseudoterpna pruinata (Grass Emerald); 15, Geometra papilionaria (Large Emerald); 16, Jodis lactearia (Small Emerald); 17, Comibaena bajularia (Blotched Emerald); 18, Thetidea smaragdaria (Essex Emerald); 19, Hemithea aestivaria (Common Emerald); 20, Thalera fimbrialis (Sussex Emerald); 21, Jodis lactearia (Little Emerald). • Geometrinae: Newman (1869). 1, Aplasta ononaria (The Rest Harrow); 2, Pseudoterpna pruinata (Grass Emerald); 3, Comibaena bajularia (Blotched Emerald); 4, Geometra papilionaria (Large Emerald); 5, Thetidia smaragdaria (Essex Emerald); 6, Jodis lactearia (Little Emerald); 7, Chlorissa viridata (Small Grass Emerald); 8, Hemistola chrysoprasaria (Small Emerald); 9, Hemithea aestivaria (Common Emerald). From Newman (1869). • Forewing and hindwing neuration: H. aestivaria 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’.
