Pearlescent tensioner
| Pearlescent tensioner | ||||||||||||
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Pearlescent moth ( Campaea margaritaria ), female |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Campaea margaritaria | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1761) |
The pearlescent spider ( Campaea margaritaria ), also known as silver leaf , is a medium-sized butterfly ( moth ) of the spanner family (Geometridae). The pearlescent tree owes its German species name and also its English species name ("Light Emerald") to its light emerald green color.
description
Fresh adults have light green wings with almost straight green and white transverse lines, two each on the front wings and one each on the hind wings. As with most tensioners with a green wing color, the pearlescent tensioner also fades over time, sometimes so far that some older individuals appear almost pure white. The transverse lines on the forewings are then sometimes no longer recognizable. The wingspan is 30 to 40 millimeters, whereby the females are usually significantly larger than the males. The antennae of the males are pinnate, those of the females are thread-like. They are placed under the wings of the resting animal.
The pearlescent tensioner cannot be confused with any other representative of the genus Campaea . The nearctic Campaea perlata is very similar to the pearlescent spider, but somewhat smaller and usually darker in color. The horizontal stripes on the wings are more curved in Campaea perlata . Since it does not occur in the Palearctic, there is no risk of confusion.
Larval development
The first eggs are laid in May. Shortly afterwards the caterpillars hatch . The greenish-brown or grayish-brown caterpillars feed on various deciduous trees , such as apple trees , birches , beeches , elms , hawthorn , hazel , oak and various species of Prunus . They grow quickly and reach a length of 35 to 40 millimeters. The caterpillars are almost completely hairless. There is only some hair near the legs. The species overwinters as a larva . The overwintering larvae feed on the soft bark components of their forage trees in winter and are therefore often found in an exposed position at the top of branches of their forage trees. In terms of color and structure, their skin resembles the bark. Some caterpillars pupate in summer and form a second generation that flies from July to October after a month-long metamorphosis .
Flight time
The nocturnal animals fly in two generations between May and October and are attracted to light. The development of the second generation depends on the climate and does not take place in Northern Europe or in the low mountain ranges.
habitat
Since the caterpillars of the pearlescent moth feed on various deciduous trees, they are found in habitats such as mixed forests , parks and large gardens .
distribution
The distribution area of the pearlescent tension stretches across Europe , North Africa and the Middle East .
proof
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Heiko Bellmann: The new cosmos butterfly guide . Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. In: Kosmos nature guide . 2nd Edition. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-440-11965-5 , pp. 228 .
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : The New Cosmos Butterfly Guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants . Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 .
Web links
- www.schmetterling-raupe.de
- Campaea margaritaria at Fauna Europaea