Latticed heath explained

The latticed heath (Chiasmia clathrata) is a moth of the family Geometridae, belonging to the subfamily Ennominae, placed in the tribe Macariini. The genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Taxonomy

The current placement of the latticed heath in the genus Chiasmia follows from the revision by Malcolm J. Scoble (2002) of the tribe Macariini, when he showed that true Semiothisa species were restricted to the Americas. There are a number of described subspecies. Molecular work has confirmed the placement of the species within Chiasmia.[1]

Subspecies

Subspecies include:

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found throughout Europe, the Near East, North Africa,[2] and east through Russia, Siberia, Amur River, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Korea to Japan.[3] It is a fairly common species in the British Isles.[4] [5] These moths inhabit a range of open areas, including grassland, moorland, and waste ground.

Description

Adult

Chiasmia clathrata has a wingspan of 20–25 mm.[6] In this rather variable species the background colour of the wings varies from yellowish to white, with a network of brown lines (hence its common name). These lines vary in thickness and sometimes the wings are almost entirely dark brown.

Larva

The final instar larva is pale green with white lines, including a strong lateral line and thin dorsal lines along the body. Abdominal segments A1 through A5 have a strong white line across the rear end of each segment that ends just above the lateral line.[7] [8]

Ecology

In the British Isles there are one or two generations annually, with adults seen at any time from May to September.[4] These moths are diurnal[9] but they can also be observed at night where they are attracted to artificial light.[10] Larvae feed on bedstraws (Galium mollugo, Galium verum) and various legumes such as clovers (Trifolium medium, Trifolium pratense), trefoils, lucerne (Medicago sativa) [6] [3] and meadow vetchling, primarily in June and July and from mid-August through September, though in Ireland and northern Britain larvae occur in July and August.[7] The species overwinters as a pupa.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Õunap, E., Javoiš, J., Viidalepp, J. & Tammaru, T., 2011. Phylogenetic relationships of selected European Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). European Journal of Entomology 108: 267-273.
  2. Chinery, M., 1986. Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe (Reprinted 1991)
  3. Web site: Savela . Markku . Chiasmia clathrata (Linnaeus, 1758) . Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms . March 31, 2019.
  4. Skinner, B., 1984. Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20150623094800/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=446292 Fauna Europaea
  6. http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/chiasmia-clathrata/ UKMoths
  7. Porter, J., 1997. The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles. Viking Press, Harmondsworth, Middlesex. xii + 275 pp.
  8. Kimmo Silvonen Larvae of North-European Lepidoptera
  9. Alanen, E.-L., Hyvönen, T., Lindgren, S., Härmä, O. and Kuussaari, M. (2011), Differential responses of bumblebees and diurnal Lepidoptera to vegetation succession in long-term set-aside. Journal of Applied Ecology, 48 (5): 1251-1259. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02012.x
  10. Truxa, C., Fiedler, K. (2012), Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light? European Journal of Entomology, 109 (1):77-84.

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