| Mottled beauty | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Subfamily: | Ennominae |
| Tribe: | Boarmiini |
| Genus: | Alcis |
| Species: | A. repandata |
| Binomial name | |
| Alcis repandata | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The mottled beauty (Alcis repandata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Subspecies and forms include: [1]
Alcis repandata is a common species of Europe and the Near East, extending throughout Europe to the Urals, in the south over the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Caucasus to Kazakhstan and in the north to the Arctic Circle. [2]
The species inhabits deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, bushy heaths, meadows, marshes and settlement areas. In the Alps occurs up to 1800 meters.
Alcis repandata has a wingspan reaching 30–45 mm. [3] This is an extremely variable species, [3] typically being buff or grey with black bars along the costa, but often with a broad blackish band across the forewings. Meyrick describes it - The head is grey mixed with whitish and fuscous. The forewings are light ochreous-brown, sprinkled with black and sometimes with whitish. The first line is curved, the median line is twice sinuate and dark fuscous, sometimes partly confluent. The second line is dark fuscous, roundly projecting above and below the middle. The subterminal is waved and pale or whitish, partially dark-margined. There is a blackish discal spot before the median. The hindwings are as the forewings, but the lines are less marked and regular. There is a discal dot beyond median. Melanic forms are also common, especially in industrial areas. In all but the darkest variations the most characteristic feature is a pale zigzag line across the hindwing. The larva is pale greenish-ochreous, brown-marked, sometimes suffused with dark grey, dusted with yellow. The dorsal line is brown or dark grey, distinct on segments 2–4, often obsolete elsewhere. Segments 5-12 sometimes have pale dorsal diamonds. [4] See also Prout (1912–16) [5]
This species is rather similar to Willow Beauty ( Peribatodes rhomboidaria ) and its congeners. See Townsend et al. [6]
This moth flies at night in June and July in the British Isles. It is attracted to light. [3]
The larva feeds on the leaves and soft bark of a wide range of trees and other plants [3] (see list below).
The species overwinters as a small larva.
Host plants include: [7]
The silver-ground carpet is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is common throughout the Palearctic region including the Near East and North Africa.It is found in a variety of different habitats and occurs, for example, in humid forests, moorland and shore areas, on embankments or on unimproved grass meadows and heathlands as well as in gardens.
The slender pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813 and is found throughout Europe and western parts of the Palearctic. The larva feed on the catkins of willow.
The garden dart is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout much of the Palearctic. Temperate regions of Europe, Central Asia and North Asia, as well as the mountains of North Africa. Absent from polar regions, on Iceland and some Mediterranean islands, as well as in Macaronesia.
Orthosia populeti, the lead-coloured drab, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe.
Orthosia incerta, the clouded drab, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae, found in Europe and Asia. The occurrence of the species extends through all European countries through the Palearctic to the Russian Far East and Japan. It is absent from northern Fennoscandia and in the Alps it occurs up to 2000 m above sea level.
Heliothis viriplaca, the marbled clover, is a moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is found in Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then to Japan, Korea and Sakhalin. In the south, it penetrates to Kashmir and Myanmar. As a migratory moth, it also reaches areas in northern Fennoscandia in some years. North of the Alps, both indigenous and immigrant individuals occur in certain areas. The heat-loving species occurs mainly on dry grasslands, fallow land, heathlands and sunny slopes and slopes and the edges of sand and gravel pits.
Agriphila tristella, the common grass-veneer, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae found in Europe and Asia.
Agriphila selasella is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Jacob Hübner in 1813 and is found in Europe and east across the Palearctic.
Pyrausta despicata, the straw-barred pearl, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica.
Pediasia aridella is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1788 and is found in Europe. There are three recognised subspecies.
Simyra albovenosa, the reed dagger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in most of Europe, then Turkey, Iran, Transcaucasus and into the east Palearctic.
Parornix anglicella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is widespread in: Europe including Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Corsica, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Finland, French mainland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Portuguese mainland, Romania, central and northern Russia, Sardinia, Serbia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ukraine. Outside Europe it is recorded from the Near East and Nearctic realm.
Spaelotis ravida, the stout dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in the Palearctic realm.
Bucculatrix maritima is a species of moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It is found in most of Europe, Russia and Japan. It was first described in 1851 by Henry Tibbats Stainton.
Pammene regiana is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It was described by Zeller in 1849. It is found in most of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, most of the Balkan Peninsula, Lithuania and Ukraine.
Bucculatrix ulmella is a moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It is found in most of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, Slovenia and Bulgaria. It was first described in 1848 by Philipp Christoph Zeller.
Colostygia multistrigaria, the mottled grey, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in western and south-western Europe and North Africa.The habitat is damp woodlands, heaths, and mosses.
Scrobipalpa obsoletella, the summer groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, from Iran to Asian Russia (Transbaikal) and Mongolia. It has also been recorded from New Zealand, South Africa and North America, where it is probably an introduced species. The habitat consists of coastal salt marshes and sandy beaches.
Cochylis pallidana, the sheep's-bit conch, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It was described by Zeller in 1847.
Ichneutica omoplaca is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is widespread from the Bay of Plenty in the North Island down to Southland in the South Island. Specimens have also been collected from the Auckland Islands. It lives in a variety of habitats including beech forest clearings and tussock grasslands. This species has been recorded that some of the larval hosts of this species include Poa cita, Dactylis glomerata and it has been reared on Plantago lanceolata. The larva is undescribed but pupae have been found in a pine plantation in soil under weeds. Adults of this species are on the wing from October to March. The adult moths are variable in appearance but the diagnostic feature is the pale ochreous to white colouring between the basal streak and the costa which contrasts with the ground colour of the forewing.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Keys and description
