Green leaf
| Green leaf | ||||||||||||
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Green leaf ( Geometra papilionaria ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Geometra papilionaria | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The green leaf ( Geometra papilionaria ) is a medium-sized moth from the Spanner family .
features
Unlike most moths, the green leaf is more like a butterfly , which can be deduced from the scientific name. It has a wingspan of 40 to 65 millimeters. Young adults are bright deep green in color, but fade into blue-green with age, and show thin dark green and white markings. Characteristic are three jagged, broken lines of white spots on the forewings, two of which continue in a semicircle over the hindwings. The antennae and legs are orange. The caterpillars are twig-like and have a very variable color. They are initially mostly brown, after wintering, then yellowish-green in color with red-brownish warts on the top.
Caterpillars before (left) and after the leaf shoots (right)
Front view of the butterfly with clearly visible antennae
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Similar species
The following species can be distinguished from the green leaf by the missing white, interrupted, jagged line of spots on the wings:
- Hemistola chrysoprasaria ( Hemistola chrysoprasaria )
- Emerald wrench ( Thetidia smaragdaria )
- Pearlescent spring flowers ( Campaea margaritata )
- Pustular spanner ( Comibaena bajularia )
- Shrub-green moth ( Hemithea aestivaria )
- Two-string coniferous forest spanner ( Hylaea fasciaria )
Occurrence
The green leaf is not uncommon and lives in and around deciduous forests, heathland areas, marshland and in settlements close to forests in the Palearctic . The adults fly in one generation from June to August and are attracted to light.
nutrition
The main food crop for the caterpillars of this species is the birch . However, it can also be found on beech , alder , ash , hazel or elder .
Reproduction
The young caterpillars overwinter and pupate in loosely rolled leaves on the ground in May. The adult green leaves hatch at the beginning of June.
swell
literature
- G. Ebert, D. Bartsch, S. Hafner: The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 8: Moth VI (Spanner (Geometridae) 1st part). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3497-7 .
- Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke: We identify butterflies. 3. Edition. Neumann, Radebeul 1991, ISBN 3-7402-0092-8 .
Web links
- Lepiforum e. V. Taxonomy and Photos
- www.schmetterling-raupe.de
- www.insektenbox.de
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Markku Savela: Lepidoptera and some other life forms (English)
- Geometra papilionaria at Fauna Europaea