Geometridae : Enomminae
Brimstone Moth
OPISTHOGRAPTIS luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Brimstone Moth
OPISTHOGRAPTIS luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 33-46mm
Worldwide Distribution: Palearctic Region : Near East
UK Distribution: Resident : Well distributed and frequent throughout Great Britain,Ireland,Scotland-north to Orkneys but not Shetland Isles,Channel Islands & Isle of Man.
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Gardens : Hedgerows : Heathland : Woodland : Scrub : Downs : Meadows
Similar Species -
Pupa: Overwinters as pupa on food plant or amongst debris below food plant.
Overwinters as: Larva or Pupa
Observations: The Brimstone Moth O.luteolata is one of our commonest and easiest moths to identify in the field, and but when pristine, is also one of the most stunning with its bright yellow forewings,ruddy brown markings near the apex and along the costa and small white crescent shape with the brown edgings. The underside carried the same background colour with a grey dashed fascia and another crescent shaped marked as can be seen in photo two.
The female tends to be slightly larger than the male and the last of the later generations tend to be smaller.
With the three possible generations of moth in the south, the life stages of next years generations are somewhat determined by the overwintering stage leading into spring, which can be either as a larva or pupa.
The moth is attracted to light where it can be recorded in reasonable numbers.
Worldwide Distribution: Palearctic Region : Near East
UK Distribution: Resident : Well distributed and frequent throughout Great Britain,Ireland,Scotland-north to Orkneys but not Shetland Isles,Channel Islands & Isle of Man.
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Phalaena crataegata Linnaeus, 1761
- Not Specified
Habitat: Gardens : Hedgerows : Heathland : Woodland : Scrub : Downs : Meadows
Similar Species -
- None
Pupa: Overwinters as pupa on food plant or amongst debris below food plant.
Overwinters as: Larva or Pupa
Observations: The Brimstone Moth O.luteolata is one of our commonest and easiest moths to identify in the field, and but when pristine, is also one of the most stunning with its bright yellow forewings,ruddy brown markings near the apex and along the costa and small white crescent shape with the brown edgings. The underside carried the same background colour with a grey dashed fascia and another crescent shaped marked as can be seen in photo two.
The female tends to be slightly larger than the male and the last of the later generations tend to be smaller.
With the three possible generations of moth in the south, the life stages of next years generations are somewhat determined by the overwintering stage leading into spring, which can be either as a larva or pupa.
The moth is attracted to light where it can be recorded in reasonable numbers.
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.
- Adoxaceae - Viburnum Family
- Viburnum lantana - Wayfaring Tree
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Betula pubescens - White Birch -Downy Birch
- Corylus avellana - Hazel
- Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family
- Lonicera involucrata syn xylosteum - Twinberry
- Grossulariaceae - Currant Family
- Ribes nigrum - Blackcurrant
- Rosaceae - The Rose Family
- Amelanchier confusa - Juneberry
- Amelanchier x grandiflora - Ballerina Apple Serviceberry
- Crataegus laevigata - Midland Hawthorn
- Malus domestica - Apple
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Prunus avium - Wild Cherry
- Prunus domestica - Bullace - Plum(Britain)
- Prunus padus - Bird Cherry - Hackberry
- Prunus serotina - Rum Cherry-Wild Cherry
- Prunus spinosa - Blackthorn - Sloe(Britain)
- Sorbus aucuparia - Mountain Ash - Rowan
- Pyracantha coccinea - Firethorn
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Salix caprea - Goat Willow
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 - OPISTHOGRAPTIS: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Epionini OPISTHOGRAPTIS Hübner, [1823] Opisthograptis luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena crataegata Linnaeus, 1761-junior subjective synonym of Phalaena luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) - = PHALAENA luteolata (Linnaeus, 1758) = Phalaena crataegata (Linnaeus, 1761) = Rumia provincialis Oberthur 1919 Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.525 - n.168 - Not Specified - O.l.f.aestiva Vorbrodt, 1914-Second brood-smaller and darker O.l.f.quadrilineata Nordström, 1941-Forewing cross-lines replaced with dashes O.l.f.delineata Lempke, 1951-No cross-lines O.l.f.impunctata Osthelder, 1931-Discal spot missing O.l.f.ruficosta Lempke, 1951-Forewing costa marked with russet O.l.f.apicolutea Cockayne, 1950-Subapial brown spot suffused with yellow O.l.f.tangens Lempke, 1951-Ante and postmedial lines touch O.l.f.intensa Lempke, 1951-All wings dark yellow O.l.f.apiconigrescens Lempke, 1970-Subapial spot dark brown to blackish O.l.f.flavissima Kroulikovsky, 1908-Markings feint to blurred off O.l.f.provincialis Oberthür, 1912-Markings very weak O.l.f.albescens Cockerell, 1888-Background white |
