| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Adults. Crepuscular and nocturnal; with fully developed wings, or flightless. The flightless females with rudimentary wings. Antennae of males simple; strongly fasciculate-ciliate. Face smooth.
Wingspan 27–37 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved. Forewings light brown sprinkled fuscous, or pale greyish-ochreous, with obscure dark striae; without a clear discal mark; with a distinct median band to without a median band (sometimes with a darker but fairly obscure band). Hindwings plain; whitish to pale fuscous; without a clear discal mark; transversely lined to without transverse lines (usually with faint dark 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 (beyond it).
Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on foliage of Quercus, Crataegus, Betula, etc., and rosaceous fruit trees (O. brumata being notoriously destructive).
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 October to December, or January. O. brummata (Winter Moth), O. fagata (Northern Winter Moth).
Subfamily. Larentiinae.
Illustrations. • O. brumata (Winter Moth) and O. fagata (Northern Winter Moth), with Epirrita, and Perizoma: Newman 1869. 1a-b, Epirrita dilutata (November Moth); 2a-b, (The Autumnal Moth); 3, Operophtera brumata (Winter Moth, male and flightless female); 4, Operophtera fagata (Northern Winter Moth, male and flightless female); 5, Perizoma taeniata (Barred Carpet); 6, Perizoma affinitata (The Rivulet); 7, Perizoma alchemillata (Small Rivulet); 8, Perizoma bifaciata (Haworth's Rivulet); 9, Perizoma minorata ericetata (Heath Rivulet); 10, Perizoma blandiata blandiata (Pretty Pinion); 11, Perizoma albulata albulata (Grass Rivulet); 12, Perizoma flavofasciata (Sandy Carpet); 13a-b, Perizoma didymata (Twin-spot Carpet); 14, Perizoma sagittata (Marsh Carpet). From Newman (1869). • O. brumata and O. fagata, with other Larentiinae: Kirby 49. LARENTIINAE. 8, Lythria purpuraria; 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 brumata (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.
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’.
