Bog forest bracken moth

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Bog forest bracken moth
Bog forest bracken moth (Petrophora chlorosata), gray color variant

Bog forest bracken moth ( Petrophora chlorosata ),
gray color variant

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Ennominae
Genre : Petrophora
Type : Bog forest bracken moth
Scientific name
Petrophora chlorosata
( Scopoli , 1763)
brownish color variant
Caterpillar
Bracken, the preferred food plant of the caterpillars

The moorland bracken spanner ( Petrophora chlorosata ), sometimes just called bracken spanner , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the spanner family (Geometridae). The synonym Phasiane petraria is occasionally found in the literature . This is derived from the Latin word petra meaning "stone" and refers to the color of the moths.

features

butterfly

The moths reach an average wingspan of 26 to 32 millimeters. There is no difference in color between the sexes. The upper sides of the wings are light gray to brownish in color and covered with very fine dark speckles. The middle field of the forewings shows a blackish center and is bordered by two dark brown, almost straight transverse lines that are laid out whitish. The apex is very pointed. The outer transverse line continues in a weakened form on the hind wings.

egg

The egg has an elliptical shape and is initially light yellow, later orange. It is covered with 24 to 25 longitudinal ribs. The microphyl rosette is nine to ten leaved.

Caterpillar

The caterpillars are brownish or greenish in color. They show fine dark longitudinal lines and a wide whitish or yellowish side stripe.

Similar species

  • The moths of the similarly colored species Petrophora aubaequaria occur exclusively in North America. Thus there is no geographical overlap with Petrophora chlorosata .
  • In the yellowish alfalfa spider ( Isturgia arenacearia ) the dark brown outer transverse line on the upper side of the forewing extends far into the submarginal region .

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of ​​the moorland bracken moth stretches from the Iberian Peninsula through western and central Europe, including the British Isles to East Asia. The main habitat are bog and quarry forests, peat meadows, boggy heaths, spas, forest edges and open forest valleys. In the Alps , the species rises to around 1500 meters.

Way of life

The moths are both diurnal and nocturnal and fly in one generation, mainly between May and June. They appear at night in artificial light sources . The caterpillars feed almost exclusively on the leaves of bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ). The extent to which common worm fern ( Dryopteris filix-mas ) is also accepted has yet to be verified. Egg breeding with various fern species has been successfully carried out. The species overwinters in the pupal stage .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnold Spuler : The butterflies of Europe , Volume 2, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1910, p. 116
  2. ^ A b Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 , p. 220
  3. ^ Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. 1st edition. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part. 1 Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim), 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 , pp. 358-360
  4. ↑ Distribution worldwide
  5. ↑ Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 , p. 212/213
  6. ↑ Ernst and Herta Urbahn : The butterflies of Pomerania with a comparative overview of the Baltic Sea region , Entomological Association of Stettin, Stettin 1939

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. 1st edition. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part. 1 Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim), 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6
  • Walter Forster, Theodor A. Wohlfahrt: The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .

Web links

Commons : Moorwald bracken moth  - Collection of images, videos and audio files