Geometridae : Enomminae
Speckled Yellow
PSEUDOPANTHERA macularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Speckled Yellow
PSEUDOPANTHERA macularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 28-30mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe-Not Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Croatia and Turkey. Extends to central Asia.
UK Distribution: Resident. Well distributed in South-west and Southern England : South-east and North-west Wales : Restricted in distribution in Central-southern England, East Anglia, West Midlands, Cumbria, and central and western Scotland : Less frequent further North : Ireland-Most records from the Burren : Channel Isles-Jersey-Single records from Guernsey and Sark.
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Open Woodland : Bushy Grassland : Scrub
Similar Species -
Larva: Mid June-Early August. The caterpillar has a strong central white lateral line viewed from the side with a dark green line above with further white lateral lines towards the top of the larva becoming thinner. Below the central white line the larva is light green.
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa underground or in plant debris
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: A uniquely marked moth that is unmistakable in the field with its buttercup yellow background colour with variable brown blotches on both forewing and hindwings. The background colour can also be variable as can be seen from the photos below.
The moth is a true daytime flyer and is very easily disturbed from its resting place on a blade of grass or leaf,especially in sunshine, as one walks along the woodland ride and once disturbed it can be described as "twitchy" until settled for a period of time.
Pamber Forest near basingstoke is a fine place to observe the behaviour of this beautiful moth, as I have on many occasions.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe-Not Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Croatia and Turkey. Extends to central Asia.
UK Distribution: Resident. Well distributed in South-west and Southern England : South-east and North-west Wales : Restricted in distribution in Central-southern England, East Anglia, West Midlands, Cumbria, and central and western Scotland : Less frequent further North : Ireland-Most records from the Burren : Channel Isles-Jersey-Single records from Guernsey and Sark.
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena macularia (Linnaeus 1758)
- Phalaena macularia (Linnaeus 1758)
- Germany
Habitat: Open Woodland : Bushy Grassland : Scrub
Similar Species -
- None
Larva: Mid June-Early August. The caterpillar has a strong central white lateral line viewed from the side with a dark green line above with further white lateral lines towards the top of the larva becoming thinner. Below the central white line the larva is light green.
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa underground or in plant debris
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: A uniquely marked moth that is unmistakable in the field with its buttercup yellow background colour with variable brown blotches on both forewing and hindwings. The background colour can also be variable as can be seen from the photos below.
The moth is a true daytime flyer and is very easily disturbed from its resting place on a blade of grass or leaf,especially in sunshine, as one walks along the woodland ride and once disturbed it can be described as "twitchy" until settled for a period of time.
Pamber Forest near basingstoke is a fine place to observe the behaviour of this beautiful moth, as I have on many occasions.
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.
- Fabaceae - Leguminosae - The Pulse - Bean - Pea Family
- Ononis repens - Rest Harrow
- Ononis spinosa - Spiny Rest Harrow
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - The Mint Family
- Lamium album - White Dead Nettle
- Lamium galeobdolon - Yellow Archangel
- Lamium purpureum - Red Dead Nettle
- Prunella vulgaris - Selfheal
- Stachys officinalis - Wood Betony
- Stachys sylvatica - Hedge Woundwort
- Stachys recta - Stiff Hedgenettle
- Teucrium chamaedrys - Wall Germander
- Teucrium montanum - Mountain Germander
- Teucrium scorodonia - Wood Sage
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 - PSEUDOPANTHERA: Original Species Name: Species Name: Nominotypical Subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Epionini PSEUDOPANTHERA Hübner, [1823] Pseudopanthera macularia (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena macularia (Linnaeus 1758) - PHALAENA macularia (Linnaeus, 1758) = Pseudopanthera maculata Fabricius, 1775 - Phalaena macularia macularia Linnaeus 1758 Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.521 - n.139 - Germany - P.m.f.transversaria Kroulikovsky, 1908-Spots joined together to describe a cross-line P.m.f.nigrescens Lempke, 1951-Spots enlarged and partly fused together P.m.f.viridimaculata Cockerell, 1889-Spots olive green P.m.albicans Oberthür, 1912-Wing background whitish P.m.f.quadrimaculata Hatchett, 1907-On forewing, only four costal spots persist P.m.f.meridionalis Galvagni, 1908-Spots smaller-background lightly coloured |