| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Lythia.
Adults. Antennae of males bipectinate; bipectinate to the apex, or apically simple. Face rough (rough-haired or loose-scaled).
Wingspan 24–28 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved. Forewings olive brown, or purplish, or golden yellow with purple margins; without a clear discal mark. Hindwings plain; olive brown, or purplish, or golden yellow with purple margins; without a clear discal mark; without transverse lines.
Vein 10 of the forewings arising independently of 9; arising out of 11 and anastomosing with 9 to form a simple areole. Hindwings exhibiting a tubular vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings arising from about the middle of the transverse vein, or 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.
Thorax hairy beneath. Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on Rumex, Polygonum.
British representation. 1 species (adventive); Northern England. Living adults found in June. L. purpuraria (Purple-barred Yellow, adventive based on unconfirmed old records).
Subfamily. Larentiinae.
Illustrations. • Lythria purpurata, with other Larentiinae: Kirby 49. LARENTIINAE. 8, Lythria purpuraria (Purple-barred Yellow); 9, Scotopteryx luridata (The Belle); 10, Larentia clavaria (Mallow); 11, Scotopteryx chenopodiata (Small Mallow); 12, Scotopteryx moeniata; 13, Scotopteryx bipunctaria (Chalk Carpet); 14, Minoa murinata (Drab Looper); 15, Odezia atrata (Chimney Sweep); 16, cf. Schistostege decussata; 17, Lithostege griseata; 18, Lithostege farinata (the Snowy); 19, Aplocera plagiata (The Treble-bar); 20, Carsia sororiata (Manchester Treble-bar); 21, Chesias legatella (The Streak); 22, Chesias rufata (Broom-tip); 23, Trichopteryx carpinata (Early Tooth-striped); 24, Celonoptera mirificaria; 25, Operophtera brummata (Winter Moth); 26, Operophtera fagata (Northern Winter Moth); 27, Triphosa sabaudiata; 28, Triphosa dubitata (Tissue); 29, Rheumaptera cervinalis (Scarce Tissue); 30, Rheumaptera undulata (Scallop Shell); 31, Philereme vetulata (Brown Scallop); 32, Philereme transversata transversata (Dark Umber). From Kirby 49, with names updated. • L. purpuraria (Purple-barred Yellow), with Phibalapteryx, Orthonama, Xanthorhoe and Catarhoe: Newman (1869). 1, Lythria purpuraria (Purple-barred Yellow, a-c males, d female); 2, Phibalapteryx virgata (The Oblique-striped); 3(a) & 3(b), Orthonama obstipata (The Gem, female and male); 4, Orthonama vittata (Oblique Carpet); 5, Xanthorhoe designata (Flame Carpet); 6, Xanthorhoe spadicearia (Red Twin-spot Carpet); 7, Xanthorhoe decoloraria (Red Carpet); 8, Xanthorhoe ferrugata (Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet); 9, Xanthorhoe quadrifasciaria (Large Twin-spot Carpet); 10, Xanthorhoe montanata (Silver-ground Carpet); 11(a) & 11(b), Xanthorhoe fluctuata (Garden Carpet, female and male); 12, Catarhoe cuculata (Royal Mantle); 13, Catarhoe rubidata (The Flame, The Ruddy Carpet). From Newman (1869).
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’.
