Crambidae : Acentropinae
Brown China-mark
ELOPHILA nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Brown China-mark
ELOPHILA nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: Male 18-25mm Female 25-33mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe (not Portugal or Slovenia) eastwards to Japan
UK Distribution: Common throughout the British Isles
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Ponds : Ditches : Lakes : Bogs : Marshes : Canals
Similar Species -
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: Although similar to the Beautiful China-mark - Nymphula stagnata (Donovan, 1806) this moth has broader wings which are brown. The main markings on the wing are three white blotches and a subterminal line in brownish white edged with brown on the inside as well as other variable white markings.
The female of this species is larger and tends to be paler than the male.
The moth can be disturbed during the day from its waterside habitat and is also attracted to light.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe (not Portugal or Slovenia) eastwards to Japan
UK Distribution: Common throughout the British Isles
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena (Geometra) nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Phalaena nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Greece: Island of Lemnos? ("in Nympheæa, Lemna")
Habitat: Ponds : Ditches : Lakes : Bogs : Marshes : Canals
Similar Species -
- Beautiful China-mark - Nymphula stagnata (Donovan, 1806)
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: Although similar to the Beautiful China-mark - Nymphula stagnata (Donovan, 1806) this moth has broader wings which are brown. The main markings on the wing are three white blotches and a subterminal line in brownish white edged with brown on the inside as well as other variable white markings.
The female of this species is larger and tends to be paler than the male.
The moth can be disturbed during the day from its waterside habitat and is also attracted to light.
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.
- Alismataceae - Water Plantain Family
- Alisma - Water Plantain
- Hydrocharitaceae - Tape-grass Family
- Hydrocharis - Frogbit
- Nymphaeaceae - Water Lily Family
- Nuphar - Water-lily
- Nymphaea - Water-lily
- Poaceae - Gramineae - True Grasses Family
- Oryza sativa - Asian Rice
- Oryza sativa - Asian Rice
- Potamogetonaceae - Pondweed Family
- Potamogeton - Pondweed
- Typhaceae - Reedmace Family
- Sparganium - Bur-reed
Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - ELOPHILA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Pyraloidea Crambidae Acentropinae ELOPHILA Hübner, 1822 Elophila nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758) - PHALAENA (Geometra) nymphaeata (Linnaeus, 1758) = Phalaena nymphaealis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 = Nymphula nymphaeata = Nymphula nymphaeta - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title Page : p.529 - n.196 - Greece: Island of Lemnos? ("in Nympheæa, Lemna") - E.n.f.obscuralis Selys-Longchamp, 1844 - wings smokey blackish brown E.n.f.nigra Foucart, 1876 - wings blackish - E.n.ezoensis Yoshiyasu, 1985 - Europe to Japan E.n. auralis Osthelder, 1935 - Turkey to Afghanistan E.n. hedaralis Amsel, 1935 - Israel E.n. silarigla Speidel, 1984 - North Africa(Algeria & Morocco) |