Birch belt puppet wrench
| Birch belt puppet wrench | ||||||||||||
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Birch girdle mannequin ( Cyclophora albipunctata ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cyclophora albipunctata | ||||||||||||
| ( Hufnagel , 1767) |
The birch girdle spanner ( Cyclophora albipunctata ), also known as the white ring spot spanner , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the spanner family (Geometridae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 23 to 27 mm; the second generation is somewhat smaller and often has a wingspan of only 20 mm. The apex of the forewings is slightly pointed, the middle of the outer edge of the hind wings is slightly tailed. The basic color is usually whitish, whitish gray to light brown. In some specimens, the middle shadow can be slightly dusty reddish. The drawing is very variable. Inner and outer transverse lines are almost always broken down into rows of dots or can almost be extinguished. The points are usually a little closer to the Kostalrand, the Kostalrand can be darkly dusted in the root half. The middle shadow is sometimes quite clearly developed as a broad middle band, but it can also be almost completely absent. Edge spots are almost always developed, in the edge area there are sometimes more or less distinct, mostly blending, somewhat darker spots. The discal spots are developed as dark rings with white nuclei. They can also be slightly elliptical or reduced to simple, slightly reddish spots. The discal spots on the forewings are often outlined in brown-red, if present, while the discal spots on the hind wings are usually black.
The egg is longitudinally oval, the surface is divided into small cells by longitudinally wound ribs. After egg-laying it is initially greenish-white and later turns yellow-gray with red spots.
The color of the caterpillars is almost extremely variable; there are green, brown, gray and gray-brown caterpillars, which also often have a mark. The segments are always clearly constricted, segments and / or constrictions can clearly stand out in color. The head is usually colored differently than the body. The top of the head often shows two, usually lighter, longitudinal stripes.
The pupa is green when the caterpillar pupates on green leaves and turns brown when the leaves fall off. If pupation takes place on dry leaves, the pupa is immediately brown. It is relatively slender with black wing sheaths and is slightly flattened. Four rows of black dots are developed on the back. The front end is drawn out in two points, the Kremaster is relatively pointed. At the end there are six strong, curved bristles.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The distribution of the species is moderate-Palearctic. The southern border runs north of the Alps and from there further west to the French Atlantic coast and the British Isles. In the east, the distribution extends to the Pacific Ocean . To the south of the northern line of the Alps , the species occurs in some higher areas and mountains. So in the Pyrenees , the French Massif Central , the Southern Alps, the Northern Dinarides , in the Western and Northern Carpathians , in Northern Turkey and in the Caucasus . In the north, the distribution area extends to the Arctic Circle . In the Far East, however, the nominate subspecies is replaced by the subspecies Cyclophora albipunctata griseolata Staudinger, 1897.
The species prefers moderate latitudes and occurs there from the plain to about 800 m height. In the Southern Alps and the Pyrenees it rises up to 1500 m. It lives in moist forests, moors, heathland, scrubland, but also in gardens in which the food plants of caterpillars, birches ( Betula spp.) Occur.
Phenology and way of life
The species is usually bivoltine , i.e. that is, it trains two generations a year. The moths fly from mid-April to early June and then again from mid-June to late August. However, this information can be shifted forwards or backwards depending on the climatic conditions. In southern Germany and the southern Alps, the adults of an incomplete third generation can appear in September / October. In the north of the distribution area, however, only one generation is formed. The moths are crepuscular and nocturnal. During the day they rest on the trunks of birch trees, rarely other trees. They are attracted by artificial light sources and can also be baited. The moths were observed on ragweeds ( Senecio ) and thistles ( Cirsium ) sucking nectar from the flowers.
The caterpillars feed on birch trees ( Betula ), depending on the region, on the silver birch ( Betula pendula ), dwarf birch ( Betula nana ) and / or downy birch ( Betula pubescens ). Oaks ( Quercus ), alders ( Alnus ) and beeches ( Fagus ) are very rarely mentioned as food plants. However, this information may relate to food crops that were used in breeding and not to food crops in the wild. The caterpillars pupate in the trees, the pupa is attached to the leaves. It falls to the ground with the fall of leaves in autumn. The pupa hibernates.
Systematics
The species was first scientifically described in 1767 by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel under the name Phalaena albipunctata . Due to the great variability in basic color and drawing, the species was described under another ten names. A name is accepted as a subspecies name. Currently the species is only subdivided into two subspecies: the nominate subspecies Cyclophoa albipunctata albipunctata and Cyclophora albipunctata griseolata Staudinger, 1897. The latter replaces the nominate subspecies in the Far East from around Kamchatka to Korea.
Danger
The species is relatively common in Germany and is not considered endangered.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hausmann, pp. 399-401
- ↑ Red lists in science4you
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 .
- Günter Ebert (Hrsg.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 8, Nachtfalter VI (Spanner (Geometridae) 1st part), Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 2001. ISBN 3-800-13497-7
- Axel Hausmann: The Geometrid moths of Europe, 2nd Sterrhinae. In A. Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe 2. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2004, ISBN 8-788-75737-4
