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Adults. Antennae of males simple. Face rough.
Wingspan 29–33 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved. Forewings dark greyish-fuscous to blackish, slightly white-speckled; predominantly fuscous, or grey, or blackish; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; without a median band. The outer margin of the hindwings smooth. Hindwings conspicuously patterned (with a dark, contrasty terminal band sometimes containing white spots, and a grey basal patch); white and light grey; with a clear discal mark; transversely lined (with a sharp postmedian line).
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.
British representation. 1 species; South-east England (very rare). Living adults found May and June, or August (double brooded). S. luctuata (White-banded Carpet).
Subfamily. Larentiinae.
Illustrations. • S. luctuata (White-banded Carpet), with other Larentiinae (‘Carpets’, ‘Pugs’, etc.): Kirby 51. LARENTIINAE. 1, Mesoleuca albicillata (Beautiful Carpet); 2 and 5, Spargania luctuata (White-banded Carpet); 3, Rheumaptera hastata (Argent and Sable); 4, Epirrhoe tristata (Small Argent and Sable); 5, Spargania luctuata (White-banded Carpet); 6, Epirrhoe molluginata; 7, Perizoma alchemillata (Small Rivulet); 8, Perizoma blandiata (Pretty Pinion); 9, Perizoma albulata (Grass Rivulet); 10, Asthena albulata (Small White Wave); 11, Hydrelia sylvata (Waved Carpet); 12, Hydrelia flammeolaria (Small Yellow Wave); 13, Camptogramma bilineata (Yellow Shell); 14, Hydriomena furcata; 15, Hydriomena impluviata (May High-flier); 16, "Larentia capitata", cf. Ecliptopera capitata; 17, Electrophaes corylata (Broken-barred Carpet); 18, Pareulype berberata (Barberry Carpet); 19, Anticlea derivata (The Streamer); 20, Catarhoe rubidata (The Flame); 21, Perizoma sagittata (Marsh Carpet); 22, Pelurga comitata (Dark Spinach); 23, Horisme vitalbata (Small Waved Umber); 24, Anticollix sparsata (Dentated Pug); 25, Eupithecia centaureata (Lime-speck Pug); 26, Eupithecia venosata (Netted Pug); 27, Eupithecia linariata (Toadflax Pug); 28, Eupithecia abietaria (?); 29, Pasiphila rectangulata (Green Pug); 30, Eupithecia nanata (Narrow-winged Pug); 31, Eupithecia innonata (Angle-barred Pug); 32, Eupithecia satyrata (Beech Pug); 33, Eupithecia lanceata. From Kirby 51, with updated names.
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’.
