| Alsophila aescularia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Alsophila |
| Species: | A. aescularia |
| Binomial name | |
| Alsophila aescularia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | |
Alsophila aescularia, the March moth, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe and can be a pest of fruit trees.
It is a well-known species distributed throughout the western Palearctic region except northern Europe, Corsica, Malta, Albania, and the Greek Islands. A few isolated populations live outside of Europe in northern and eastern Turkey, Caucasus, Transcaucasus, and Turkmenistan. Alsophila aescularia has also been reported to exist in the Hyrcanian relic temperate deciduous forests of Iran along the northern slopes of Alborz Mountain Range, called the Caspian Forest.
The wingspan is 25–35 mm. The colour of the forewings varies between pale brownish and grayish brown. There is a well-defined Usually dark brown central band. The lines are sharply toothed and on the opposite side to the band they are whitish. A prominent black dot is present on the hind wings. Darkened specimens are rare. In these the lines are extinguished or the butterfly is completely black. The females have no wings and are eight to ten millimeters long. The abdomen is brownish grey, the abdominal hair tuft is about two millimeters wide and thus narrower than the abdomen, which represents a differentiator against Alsophila aceraria . The palps are very short, the sensors are slightly toothed. The proboscis is stunted. The tibiae of the hind legs have four spurs that are very short in females. [1]
The adults are active in March and April. [2]
The bright pale-green larva reaches a length of about 26 mm. It is characterized by a very smooth skin and a flat head. There is a dark green dorsal line and yellowish-white lateral lines. In contrast to other geometrid caterpillars, they have an additional rudimentary abdominal leg pair in the fifth segment. Long, spider's-web like strings hang from oak trees in the southern hemisphere. The larvae hangs from one end.
The larva feeds on a range of trees: apple ( Malus domestica ), European plum ( Prunus domestica ), Zwetschge (Prunus domestica domestica), blackthorn ( Prunus spinosa ), bird cherry ( Prunus padus ), lime ( Tilia species), pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ), sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ), northern red oak ( Quercus rubra ), field maple Acer campestris , sycamore ( Acer pseudoplatanus ), elm ( Ulmus species), hawthorn ( Crataegus species), dog rose ( Rosa canina ), wild privet ( Ligustrum vulgare ), hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus ), beech ( Fagus sylvatica ), hazel ( Corylus avellana ), ash ( Fraxinus excelsior ), fly honeysuckle ( Lonicera xylosteum ), common buckthorn ( Rhamnus cathartica ) and silver birch ( Betula pendula ).
The November moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It can be found in the Palearctic realm in western Europe from central Scandinavia to the Mediterranean the Caucasus and western Russia.
The pale November moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Allen in 1906. It is a fairly common species in Western Europe including the British Isles.
The scalloped oak is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The mottled umber is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is common throughout much of the Palearctic region. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759.
The grey dagger is a moth of the family Noctuidae.
Xanthorhoe spadicearia, the red twin-spot carpet, is a moth of the genus Xanthorhoe in the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Agrochola lychnidis, the beaded chestnut, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is distributed throughout the whole of Europe from Ireland to the Urals. It also occurs in western North Africa and Asia Minor.
Agriopis leucophaearia, the spring usher, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is a Palearctic species found from Europe to the Russian Far East, Siberia and Japan, mainly in oak forests and in heathland with low-growing oaks.
Alsophila is a genus of the moth family Geometridae, subfamily Alsophilinae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1825. The genus is notable because of distinct sexual dimorphism leading to strongly reduced wings in females, so much so that they cannot fly. The moths fly in late autumn or early spring.
Ecliptopera silaceata, the small phoenix, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Lomographa temerata, the clouded silver, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found in Asia and Europe and was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
The March dagger moth is a moth of the subfamily Chimabachinae. It is found in Europe and was first described by Michael Denis & Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Conistra rubiginea, the dotted chestnut, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is distributed in Europe and, according to William Warren, Armenia and Asia Minor.
Minucia lunaris, the lunar double-stripe or brown underwing, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775 and is found in Asia, Europe and North Africa.
Catephia alchymista, the white underwing or alchymist, is a moth in the family Erebidae found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Cleora cinctaria, the ringed carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from Europe to southern Siberia, Turkey, the Caucasus, central Asia and Mongolia. It is also found in Japan.
Phigalia pilosaria, the pale brindled beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from Europe and Anatolia to the Caucasus.
Trichopteryx polycommata, the barred tooth-striped, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in Europe and the Near East, east to the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, the southern Russian Far East (Primorsk) and Japan (Hokkaido).
Earophila badiata, the shoulder stripe, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from most of Europe and North Africa to the Altai Mountains in the east Palearctic.
Apocheima hispidaria, the small brindled beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from Spain through central Europe to Russia. In the north, the range extends to southern Sweden. In the south, it is found on all of the Balkan Peninsula up to the Black Sea.
Feizpour, Shamsi, et al. “Alsophila Aescularia (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) a Genus and Species New to the Fauna of Iran, a Species from a Threatened Habitat.” SPIXIANA, vol. 41, no. 1, Oct. 2018, pp. 111–115. Web of Science, doi:0341-8391.