70.103 : 1750 : 8316
Geometridae : Larentiinae

Water Carpet

LAMPROPTERYX suffumata (Denis & Schiffermüller,[1775])
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 25-32mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - Not Greece & some Mediterranean Islands : Caucasus : Transcaucasia : Urals : Altai : Kamchatka : Kuril Islands : Japan.
UK Distribution: Fairly well distributed throughout the British Isles - possibly under recorded due to early flight season
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = > 300 10Km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Geometra) suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Type Species - Lampropteryx
  • Geometra suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
Type Locality -
  • Austria - near Vienna
Flight Period: South - middle March to early July : Elsewhere - April to May
Habitat: Damp woodland edges : Hedgerows : Gardens
Similar Species -
  • Devon Carpet - Lampropteryx otregiata - (Metcalfe, 1917)
  • Phoenix - Eulithis prunata - (Linnaeus, 1758)
Larva: The final instar larva is pale brown with dark brown to blackish chevrons along the dorsal area.There is a dark brown,blackish dorsal line is visible against the light brown background and shows between the chevrons.Below the small black spriracles the background colour is paler brown.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon among plant debris for ten months
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The forewing  background is light brown or brownish white with strong markings, the most prominent being the median band, which is brown and has two outward facing projections and four outward facing notches on the basal side of this band which help to identify this moth.
The colours are very strong and highlighted at the edges in white.The subterminal line is brown and intermittently broken with the strongest markings towards the apex, which have white apical streaks.
The forewings appear tapered and are strongly curved towards the apex.

The Devon Carpet is similar to this moth but has a smaller wingspan only being 27-30mm with a more rounded termen.

The moth is attracted to lights and can often be found within the vicinity of these lights, as in an underpass, for days only moving slightly from one position to one a short distance away.
Photo Gallery
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.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - LAMPROPTERYX:

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Subspecies:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometroidea
Geometridae
Larentiinae
Cidariini
LAMPROPTERYX Stephens, 1831
Lampropteryx suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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Geometra suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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PHALAENA (Geometra) suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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Geometra suffumata suffumata ([Denis & Schiffermüller],1775)
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Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.316 - n.27
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Austria - near Vienna
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L.s.picata Stephens, 1831 - all four wings smokey colour

L.s.suffumata (Denis & Schiffermüller],1775) - Nominate subspecies
L.s.arctica Sparre-Schneider, 1895
L.s.defumata Stichel, 1911 - N Fennoscandia