| Feathered thorn | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Colotois |
| Species: | C. pennaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Colotois pennaria (Linnaeus, 1761) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The feathered thorn (Colotois pennaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761.
The common name derives from the very strong feathering on the antennae of the male. Also the species name pennaria derives from the Latin suffix aria – meaning "related to or connected with" – at the end of the Latin word penna meaning "feather".
The forewings of this species are basically brown but individuals vary greatly in tone from drab light brown to much richer reddish tones. They are usually marked with two dark fascia and a small discal spot but these features can be faint or almost absent. The hindwings are lighter buffish brown. The wingspan is 46–50 mm, the males being usually larger and broader-winged than the females. Prout describes the aberrations [1] The females tend to be rather sluggish but the males fly actively at night and are attracted to light. The species is on the wing from September to November .
The egg is olive-green with a ring of pale specks round the micropylar end; laid in a cluster on a twig, hibernating.The caterpillar is hairless, brown or purplish grey with ochreous spots and purplish grey with ochreous spots with reddish anal points.It is twig-like and reaches a length of up to 50 mm. It can be found from May to July feeding mainly at night on a variety of trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as an egg.
This species can be found throughout Europe and the Near East to the Caucasus and east to Sakhalin, Amur, Primorye, Korea, Japan (as subspecies ussuriensis).
Found in mainly deciduous and mixed forests, and in large gardens.
The large emerald is a moth which is the type species for the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East in and around deciduous forests, heathlands, marshland and in settlements close to woodland. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The riband wave is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
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 feeds on the catkins of willow.
The currant pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Henry Doubleday in 1856. It is found across the Nearctic and Palearctic regions .Its occurrence extends eastwards to the Near East, Urals, the Ussuri region and on to the island of Sakhalin. In the Pyrenees and the Alps it rises to altitudes of 1500 and 1800 metres respectively.
The treble-bar or St. John's wort inchworm is a moth of the family Geometridae. the species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East.
The swallow-tailed moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is a common species across Europe and the Near East.
The mottled beauty is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The common white wave is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region .The habitat is deciduous forests and their surroundings.
Campaea margaritata, commonly known in the UK as the light emerald, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae. It is widely distributed throughout Europe, the Near East and North Africa. The habitat is mixed forests including parks and large gardens.
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.
The setaceous Hebrew character is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in the Palearctic realm. It is a common species throughout Europe and North Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, China, Japan and Korea. It is also found in North America, from coast to coast across Canada and the northern United States to western Alaska. It occurs in the Rocky Mountains from Montana to southern Arizona and New Mexico. In the east, it ranges from Maine to North Carolina. It has recently been recorded in Tennessee.
Cepphis advenaria, the little thorn, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan.
Scopula immutata, the lesser cream wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout Europe.
Euxoa obelisca, the square-spot dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm.
Colotois is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae.
Agrochola litura, the brown-spot pinion, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is found in Europe and the Middle East. It is possibly also present in North Africa, but this is unclear because similar looking species Agrochola meridionalis is found there.
Agrochola helvola, the flounced chestnut, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The species is found in most of Europe, north to Scotland and Fennoscandia up to the Arctic Circle, south to Spain, Sicily, Greece further east to the Middle East, Armenia, Asia Minor, western Turkestan and central Asia up to central Siberia.
Paradarisa consonaria, the brindled square spot or square spot, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in north and central Europe and east to south-eastern Siberia and Japan.
Carsia sororiata, the Manchester treble-bar, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found in northern and central Europe, the Urals, Siberia, the Far East, northern Mongolia and in North America from Alaska to Newfoundland and to New Hampshire.
Aspitates gilvaria, the straw belle, 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 the eastern part of the Palearctic realm. The main habitats are warm slopes, heathlands, fields and abandoned quarries. In the mountains, the species rises to heights of 1000 meters. Adults are on wing from July to August.
