| Mottled umber | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Erannis |
| Species: | E. defoliaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Erannis defoliaria (Clerck, 1759) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The mottled umber (Erannis defoliaria) 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 species can be found in western Europe from northern Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, then east to the Caucasus, northern Iran, Russia, Russian Far East, and Ussuri.
The female of this species is wingless and rather spider-like and can be found on the trunks and stems of its larval food plants. She is white or yellow-and-black patched. The male is fully winged (wingspan 40–45 mm) and very variable. The ground colour of the forewing is pale yellow or light yellow ochre and suffused dark grey. The basal and distal fasciae are dark brown. The basal fascia is bordered on the inner side by a brown cloud; the distal fascia has a brown cloud on the outer edge. There is also a brown cloud along the costa. There are two dark brown oblong spots in the upper half of the terminal area. The hindwing is grey white with grey suffusion. There is a grey-black discal spot on both wings. There are numerous and significant deviations from this colour pattern and some specimens are very dark. See Prout (1912–16) [1] Truly melanic forms are also frequent. As with the peppered moth, the darker forms tend to be prevalent in industrial areas.
The adults have been recorded from September to December in the Great Britain and Ireland. Males are attracted to light. The egg is oval with very shallow, somewhat zigzag longitudinal ridges, a cell-pattern only discernible on high magnification and brownish yellow, without gloss. The larva is also variable from cream to dark brown and quite gaily coloured. It feeds on a wide variety of trees and shrubs (see list below) and can be a serious pest in orchards. The species overwinters as an egg.
The common emerald is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the British Isles. It was accidentally introduced into southern British Columbia in 1979.
The common marbled carpet is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Chloroclysta. It is very common throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767.
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 grey pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America.Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpillar food plants, geological subsoil or the like it is a typical species of almost any Hochstaudenflur, where it occurs in the herb layer, in bushes and even on deciduous trees. It can be found on forest edges and hedgerows, on heath, in rocky places and wetlands, parks and gardens, as well as in villages and town centres.
The scalloped hazel is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759.
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 dotted border is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1776. It is found throughout Europe, except the far north, 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 dun-bar is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common Palearctic species.
The brindled beauty is a Palearctic moth belonging to the family Geometridae.
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.
Lomographa temerata, the clouded silver, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775.
Ptycholoma lecheana, the Leche's twist moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Europe, China, Korea, Japan, Russia and Asia Minor.
Agriopis aurantiaria, the scarce umber, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1799 and it is found throughout Europe from Spain through Central Europe to Russia. In the south it can be found from the western Mediterranean to the Black Sea and the Caucasus. Its northern distribution reaches as far as central Fennoscandia. The species can be found in many different places, including deciduous forests, orchards, gardens as well as parks and settlement areas.
Media related to Erannis defoliaria at Wikimedia Commons