| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Melanocoma, Nyssia, Poecilopsis.
Adults. Relatively stout-bodied; with fully developed wings, or flightless (some females). The flightless females with rudimentary wings. Antennae of males bipectinate; bipectinate to the apex, or apically simple. Face rough (roughly hairy). Tongue absent.
Wingspan 30–34 mm, or 42–52 mm (L. hirtarius). Forewings relatively narrow-elongate to relatively broad. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved. Forewings pale greyish-ochreous, whitish or whitish-grey, or somewhat greenish brindled, with dark fuscous or grey veins and/or lines and margin; with a clear discal mark (rarely), or without a clear discal mark. Forewings of the male without a fovea. Hindwings conspicuously patterned to plain; ground-coloured as forewings; without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (the first line usually missing, the others obscure or dark and well defined).
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 Betula, Crataegus, Rosa, Achillea.
British representation. 3 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Living adults found April and May, or June and July. L. zonaria (Belted Beauty), L. lapponaria (Rannoch Brindled Beauty), L. hirtaria (Brindled Beauty).
Subfamily. Ennominae.
Illustrations. • Agriopis, Alsophila, Apocheima, Phigalia, 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. • Lycia zonaria ssp. britannica (Belted Beauty): B. Ent. 615. • Lycia zonaria ssp. britannica: B. Ent. 615, legend+text. • Lycia zonaria ssp. britannica: B. Ent. 615, text cont.. • Lycia hirtaria, L. lapponaria, L. zonaria. 1a-b, Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty, male and female); 2a-b, Lycia lapponaria (Rannoch Brindled Beauty, female and male); 3a-b, Lycia hirtaria (Brindled Beauty). From Swain, 1961. • 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. • Wing neuration: L. zonaria 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’.
