Purple Treble-bar

Geometridae : Larentiinae

Purple Treble-bar

APLOCERA praeformata (Hübner, [1826])

Kind permission - © Tim Norriss

Life Cycle Guide

Description

Wingspan: 34 - 40mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - less (Denmark,Ireland,Norway,Netherlands & all Mediterranean Islands) eastwards to western Russia
UK Distribution: Two records only
UK Conservation Status -

Vagrant/Accidental

European Conservation Status -

Least Concern

Original Species Name -

Geometra praeformata (Hübner, [1826])

Type Species - Aplocera

Phalaena plagiata (Linnaeus 1758)

Type Locality -

Europe

Flight Period: Europe - mid June to August
Habitat: Grassland : Woodland edges
Similar Species -

Lesser Treble-bar - Aplocera efformata - (Guenée, [1858])
Treble-bar - Aplocera plagiata - (Linnaeus, 1758)

Larva: The final instar larva is light reddish brown with a series of thin lateral lines from the spiracular line dorsally. The spiracular lines is a white edged dark brown band which finishes as a white band above the anal prolegs and normal body colour below.Head is body colour
Overwinters as: Larva
Observations: The moth has just a couple of recognised records in Britain with one from Chinnor on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border back in 1919 and a second from Lawrenny Park, Pembrokeshire in 1946.

The moth appears in Europe from mid June to August and has a range from northern Spain up to Sweden and across to western Russia where it has similar habitats as our own "Treble-bar moth" also relying on St John's Wort.

The forewings are slate grey with oblique cross lines and a purplish subapial streak, the colour also appearing on the basal side of the antemdian line.
Similar to the Treble-bar moths it has a short blackish bands on the antemedian line which finishes at the costa pointed and acute. The moth is also larger than the British species.

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.

Hypericaceae - St John's Wort Family
- Hypericum maculatum - Imperforate St John's-wort
- Hypericum perforatum - St John's-wort
- Hypericum pulchrum - Slender St John's-wort

Larval Food Plants

Taxonomy

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Type Species APLOCERA:

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Subspecies:

Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometroidea
Geometridae
Larentiinae
Chesiadini
APLOCERA Stephens, 1827
Aplocera praeformata (Hübner, [1826])
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Phalaena plagiata (Linnaeus 1758)
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GEOMETRA praeformata (Hübner, [1826])
= Larentia cassiata Treitschke, 1828
= Anaitis rosacea Kiefer, 1913
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Geometra praeformata praeformata (Hübner, [1826]))
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Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge / errichtet von Jacob Hübner in Augsburg. By Hübner, Jacob, 1761-1826 : Lepidoptera V : Geometrae 1 : p.103 - f.532 & 533
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Europe
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A.p.gibeauxi Leraut, 1995 - Massif Central & Pyranees (except eastern side)
A.p.urbabni Dufay, 1981 - Greece - genatlia difference
A.p.praeformata (Hübner, [1826]) - Nominate subspecies