Alsophila (animal species)

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Alsophila
Spring cross-wing (Alsophila aescularia), male

Spring cross-wing ( Alsophila aescularia ), male

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Geometroidea
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Alsophilinae
Genre : Alsophila
Scientific name
Alsophila
Huebner , 1825

Alsophila (cross wing) is a genus of butterflies from the family of the Spanner (Geometridae) and the subfamily Alsophilinae.

features

Males and females show extreme sexual dimorphism , because the females are wingless and therefore unable to fly. The males rest with their fore wings folded and partially overlapping ("crossed") over the body. The palps are very short, the antennae are slightly toothed. The proboscis is stunted. The tibia of the hind legs have four spines in the European species, which are very short in the females. Occasionally, only two spines are present in the species found in the east of the Palearctic .

The larvae are characterized by the presence of stunted abdominal legs on the eighth segment (in contrast to most geometrids, they have two pairs of abdominal legs, on the eighth and ninth segment), very smooth skin and a flat head.

Way of life

The moths appear in late autumn or early spring. The male moths fly at night, they are attracted to the light. The females glue their eggs in a wide band around small branches.

The caterpillars of the two Central European species live on deciduous trees . In Europe the spring cross wing is of forestry importance, in North America it is Alsophila pometaria .

Systematics

Alsophila is the only genus within the subfamily Alsophilinae in Europe. It is assigned to the subfamily Oenochrominae by some authors, while it is placed in the subfamily Alsophilinae in more recent works.

In the Holarctic ten species belong to the genus, in Europe (or Central Europe ) the genus Alsophila is represented by two species.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Alsophila Hübner 1825. Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on October 12, 2007 .
  2. ↑ Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 8, Nachtfalter VI (Spanner (Geometridae) 1st part), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 2001. ISBN 3-800-13497-7
  3. ↑ a b Axel Hausmann: Introduction. Achiearinae, Orthostixinae, Desmobathrinae, Alsophilinae, Geometrinae. In: A. Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe 1. Apollo Books 2001, ISBN 8-788-75735-8
  4. ↑ Malcolm J. Scoble: Geometrid moths of the world. A catalog (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 1999, ISBN 0-643-06304-8

literature

  • Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .
  • Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 .
  • Arno Bergmann: The large butterflies of Central Germany. Volume 5/1: Spanner. Distribution, forms and communities. Urania-Verlag, Jena 1955, DNB 450378403 .

Web links

Commons : Alsophila  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Lepiforum e. V. Photo overview (here genus Alsophila added to the subfamily Oenochromiinae)
  • Markku Savela: Alsophila. Retrieved February 23, 2013 .