Anticollix sparsata explained

Anticollix sparsata, the dentated pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1828. It is found across the Palearctic from Europe to Japan.

The wingspan is 20–26 mm. The ground color of the forewings is light brown or grey. Along the costal edge there are most often some square dark spots (usually four), but these can be blurred. In the middle of the wing there are usually two or three small triangular black spots, but no trace of any dark transverse band. The hindwing has a conspicuous toothed border. It is monochrome grey. Both pairs of wings have small black spots along the outer edges. The larva is slender, green on the back and pale green on the abdomen, with a narrow white lateral stripe. It has scattered, short, bright bristles.^{[1] [2] [3]} See also Prout.^[4]

Adults are on wing from May to September in two generations.

The larvae feed on the flowers and leaves of Lysimachia vulgaris.

External links

• Dentated pug at UKMoths
• Fauna Europaea
• Lepidoptera of Belgium

Notes and References

1. Waring, P. & Townsend, M, 2003, Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland British Wildlife Publishing
2. Skinner, B, 1998, The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles, Viking Press,
3. Riley, A.M. & Prior, G., 2003, British and Irish pug moths, Harley Books,
4. 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