Lead belle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Hexapoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Scotopteryx
Species:
S. mucronata
Binomial name
Scotopteryx mucronata
(Scopoli, 1763)[1]
Synonyms
  • Phalaena mucronata Scopoli, 1763
  • Ortholitha scotica Cockayne, 1940

Scotopteryx mucronata, the lead belle, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, Ukraine, West Siberia.

The wingspan is 30–38 mm. The ground colour of the forewing is grey to brownish grey in colour. There is a distinctive brown median band and bounded by darker cross lines. The centre (discal) spot is usually drop-shaped. However, the pattern is variable. The rear wing is greyish, very similar to Scotopteryx luridata. See Townsend et al.[2]

Adults are on wing from May to June in one generation per year.[3]

The larvae feed on Ulex and Cytisus species. The species overwinters in the larval stage.

References

  1. ↑ Fauna Europaea
  2. ↑ Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.
  3. ↑ UKmoths
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