Geometridae : Larentiinae
Chalk Carpet
SCOTOPTERYX bipunctaria ( ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Chalk Carpet
SCOTOPTERYX bipunctaria ( ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 30 - 32mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - excluding (Balearis is.,Azores,Canary Is.,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Ireland,Latvia,Norway,Portugal, N & NW Russia,Sweden and most Mediterranean Is.)
UK Distribution: Southern England and south Wales with intermittent records north to Yorkshire and north Wales
UK Conservation Status -
Type Species -
Type Locality -
Flight Period: South - mid June - mid September
Habitat: Limestone and Chalk Grassland : Cliffs : Quarries
Similar Species -
Overwinters as: Small larva
Observations: The Chalk Carpet is a Nationally Scarce Species and a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan having gone from many chalk locations due to land being used for housing etc.
The ssp S.b.cretata Prout,1937 is restricted to England having a forewing background that tends towards whitish as opposed to slate grey in Europe.
The moth is the only species with greyish to whitish forewings with scalloped grey and brownish cross lines with a well pronounced median band with two black central spots.The terminal line is a series of black dashes.
Moth is attracted to light.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - excluding (Balearis is.,Azores,Canary Is.,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Ireland,Latvia,Norway,Portugal, N & NW Russia,Sweden and most Mediterranean Is.)
UK Distribution: Southern England and south Wales with intermittent records north to Yorkshire and north Wales
UK Conservation Status -
- Nationally Scarce B (Nb - BAP : 1997) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Least Concern
Type Species -
Type Locality -
Flight Period: South - mid June - mid September
Habitat: Limestone and Chalk Grassland : Cliffs : Quarries
Similar Species -
- None
Overwinters as: Small larva
Observations: The Chalk Carpet is a Nationally Scarce Species and a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan having gone from many chalk locations due to land being used for housing etc.
The ssp S.b.cretata Prout,1937 is restricted to England having a forewing background that tends towards whitish as opposed to slate grey in Europe.
The moth is the only species with greyish to whitish forewings with scalloped grey and brownish cross lines with a well pronounced median band with two black central spots.The terminal line is a series of black dashes.
Moth is attracted to light.
Subspecies
S.b.cretata Prout,1937 - England - background tends towards whitish
S.b.cretata Prout,1937 - England - background tends towards whitish
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Hippocrepis comosa - Horseshoe Vetch
- Lotus corniculatus - Bird's-foot Trefoil
- Medicago lupulina - Black Medic - Medick
- Trifolium pratense - Red Clover
- Trifolium repens - White Clover - Dutch Clover
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - Taraxacum - Dandelion/Vicia - Vetch
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - Thymus - Thyme/Teucrium - Germander
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - SCOTOPTERYX: Original Species Name: Species Names: Nominotypical Subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Larentiinae Xanthorhoini SCOTOPTERYX Hübner, [1825] Scotopteryx bipunctaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - Geometra tenebraria Hübner, 1809 - GEOMETRA bipunctaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) = Phalaena undularia Scopoli 1763 - Geometra bipunctaria bipunctaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.111 - n.5 - Austria - Vienna District - S.b.bipunctaria ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - Nominate Subspecies S.b.cretata Prout,1937 - England - background tends towards whitish S.b.maritima (Seebold 1879) - northern Spain - wings suffused sooty brown - S.b.f.unipuncta Wehrli, 1926 - single discal point S.b.f.tangens, Lempke, 1967 - ante & postmedian lines contact S.b.f.margaritata Lempke, 1950 - ant & postmedian lines connect S.b.f.gachtaria Freyer, 1852 - wings darkened,median area brownish grey S.b.f.grisescens Neuburger, 1906 - wings ash grey with not a trace of brown - frequent southern Alps |