| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Eubolia, Eusebia, Onychia, Ortholitha, Phasiane.
Adults. Antennae of males bipectinate. Face rough.
Wingspan 32–40 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved, or sigmoid-curved. Forewings not predominantly green, yellow, or black; whitish grey, pale grey, pale fuscous, ochreous or brownish; with a clear discal mark (this black, or sometimes two, transversely placed); with a distinct median band (this dark), or without a median band. Hindwings plain; fuscous or grey; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (with darker postmedian striae).
Vein 10 of the forewings arising independently of 9; arising independently, anastomosing with 11 and 9 to form a double 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.
Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on mainly shrubby and herbaceous legumes, but also Ericaceae.
British representation. 6 species (2 adventive); South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Living adults found June to August (sometimes double brooded). S. bipunctaria (Chalk Carpet), S. chenopodiata (Small Mallow, Shaded Broad-bar, and in former times “The Aurelian’s Plague”), S. luridata plumbaria (The July Belle), S. mucronata (The Lead Belle), S. moeniata (Fortified Carpet, based on doubtful old records), S. peribolata (Spanish Carpet, a sporadic migrant?).
Subfamily. Larentiinae.
Illustrations. • S. bipunctaria (Chalk Carpet), S. chenopodiata (Shaded Broad-bar), S, luridata (Lead Belle), and S. moeniata (Fortified Carpet): Newman 1869. 1, Scotopteryx moeniata; 2, S. bipunctaria (Chalk Carpet); 3, S. chenopodiata (The Shaded Broad-bar); 4, S. luridata (The Lead Belle). From Newman (1869). • Larentiinae: Kirby. 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 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.
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’.
