Asthena albulata

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Asthena albulata
Asthena albulata.jpg
Asthena albulata1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Asthena
Species:
A. albulata
Binomial name
Asthena albulata
(Hufnagel, 1767) [1]
Synonyms
  • Phalaena albulataHufnagel, 1767
  • Geometra candidataDenis & Schiffermüller, 1775

Asthena albulata, the small white wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is known from all of Europe and is also present in the Near East.

Figs. 3,3a,3b Larvae in various stages of growth Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths PlateCXVI.jpg
Figs. 3,3a,3b Larvae in various stages of growth

The wingspan is 14–18 mm. The ground colour of the wings is white (silky in appearance). There are fine brown cross-lines across both forewings and hindwings and a row of black dots along the margin of both wings. Asthena amurensis Stgr., from the Eastern Palearctic, is smaller, with distinct discal dots but wanting those of the distal margin. [2] [3]

The larva is slender, pale with large red spots, with quite long, dark setae.

There are two generations per year with adults on wing from mid-April to August.

The larvae feed on Corylus avellana , Betula and sometimes Carpinus betulus . [4] Larvae can be found from May to September. It overwinters as a pupa.

References

  1. Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Asthena albulata (Hufnagel 1767)". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016.
  2. Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.pdf PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. Jaan Viidalepp and Axel Hausmann, 2013 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe. 1. Auflage. Volume 3: Larentiinae I. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2013, ISBN   978-90-04-26097-9
  4. HOSTS database, National History Museum, London. Retrieved 2024