Geometridae : Ennominae
Dorset Cream Wave
STEGANIA trimaculata (de Villers, 1789)
Dorset Cream Wave
STEGANIA trimaculata (de Villers, 1789)
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 26 - 28mm
Worldwide Distribution: Southern Europe, with migratory range reaching Denmark,Netherlands and England : North-West Africa
UK Distribution: Very rare immigrant - two records from Dorset only
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Parks : River banks : Gardens : Poplar plantations
Similar Species -
Pupa: Pupates in leaf litter
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The moth is resident in southern Europe and north and north-west Africa,migrating as far north as Denmark,The Netherlands and England where only two specimens have been recorded in Dorset in 1978 and 2006, giving the moth its vernacular name.
It is similar in appearance to the White-pinion Spotted but is smaller and whiter with a more angled postmedian line and three black marks at the costa, cross lines intersection whereas the similar species has only two.
The f. cognataria Lederer,1853 has the basal area a smokey colour with the rest of the forewing being a speckled brown suffusion.
Moth is attracted to light.
Worldwide Distribution: Southern Europe, with migratory range reaching Denmark,Netherlands and England : North-West Africa
UK Distribution: Very rare immigrant - two records from Dorset only
UK Conservation Status -
- Vagrant/Accidental
- Least Concern
- Phalaena trimaculata (de Villers, 1789)
- Geometra permutataria Hübner, 1799
- Europe
Habitat: Parks : River banks : Gardens : Poplar plantations
Similar Species -
- White-pinion Spotted - Lomographa bimaculata - (Fabricius, 1775)
Pupa: Pupates in leaf litter
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The moth is resident in southern Europe and north and north-west Africa,migrating as far north as Denmark,The Netherlands and England where only two specimens have been recorded in Dorset in 1978 and 2006, giving the moth its vernacular name.
It is similar in appearance to the White-pinion Spotted but is smaller and whiter with a more angled postmedian line and three black marks at the costa, cross lines intersection whereas the similar species has only two.
The f. cognataria Lederer,1853 has the basal area a smokey colour with the rest of the forewing being a speckled brown suffusion.
Moth is 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.
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.
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - STEGANIA: Original Species Name: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Cassymini STEGANIA Guenée 1845 Stegania trimaculata (de Villers, 1789) - Geometra permutataria Hübner, 1799 - PHALAENA trimaculata (de Villers, 1789) - Caroli Linnaei Entomologia, faunae Suecicae descriptionibus aucta : DD. Scopoli, Geoffroy, de Geer, Fabricii, Schrank, &c., speciebus vel in systemate non enumeratis, vel nuperrime detectis, vel speciebus Galli australis locupletata, generum specierumque rariorum iconibus ornata; curante & augente Carolo de Villers - t2 1789 : Title Page : Pages 384/385 - n.638 - Europe - S.t.f.albaria Bruand,1846 - cross lines blurred out S.t.f.cognataria Lederer, 1853 - basal area smokey,rest forewings speckled brown S.t.f.ochrearia Bang-Haas, 1910 - ochre tinged yellow,virtually markings free - North Africa |