Violet-gray corner wing tensioner

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Violet-gray corner wing tensioner
Violet-gray corner wing spanners (Macaria liturata)

Violet-gray corner wing spanners ( Macaria liturata )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Ennominae
Genre : Macaria
Type : Violet-gray corner wing tensioner
Scientific name
Macaria liturata
( Clerck , 1759)

The violet -gray corner wing spanner ( Macaria liturata ), also called the pine corner wing spanner or polygrey pine spanner , is a butterfly ( moth ) from the spanner family (Geometridae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is about 26 to 30 millimeters. The wings have a violet-gray basic color. Typical of the species are three dark transverse lines on the front wings, which are thickened at the front edge and often dissolve into points. Behind the outer transverse line a broad reddish yellow transverse band can be seen, which begins with a brownish-red blotch on the front edge and continues on the hind wings. Sometimes brownish, strongly aberrative colored butterflies appear, which lack transverse lines, which show broad, orange transverse bands and which are identified as f. trexleri . The front wings are slightly drawn in below the apex , the hind wings show a short point or corner in the middle.

egg

The egg has an elliptical shape, tapers towards the bottom and is covered with a clear mesh sculpture. Around the micropyle there are small warts and a seven-petalled rosette. Freshly laid eggs have a greenish color that later changes to reddish brown with white spots and finally to purple-gray.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars are greenish gray or green in color and show two parallel white side stripes that give them the appearance of the needles of some forage plants.

Doll

The reddish brown doll has a long end spike on the cremaster .

Geographical distribution and habitat

The nominate form of the violet-gray corner wing spanner occurs from the British Isles to Siberia , in the south from the western Mediterranean area via Italy , the Balkan countries and the Black Sea region to the Caucasus and in the north beyond the Arctic Circle . In the Alps , it rises to around 1,600 meters above sea ​​level . The ssp lives in East Asia . Macaria liturata pressaria . The species prefers to inhabit coniferous and mixed forests.

Way of life

The main flight time of the moths is April to August. They often visit artificial light sources and occasionally bait in large numbers at night . The food plants of the caterpillars are various conifers. These include fir ( Abies ), spruce ( Picea ), pine ( Pinus ) and juniper species ( Juniperus ). The pupa hibernates.

Danger

The violet-gray corner wing spanner is listed on the Red List of Endangered Species as not endangered.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 .
  2. ↑ a b c Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 .
  3. ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Ed.): Red List of Endangered Animals in Germany . Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 1998, ISBN 3-89624-110-9 .

literature

  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 .
  • Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 .

Web links

Commons : Violet Gray Corner Wing Spanner  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files