Geometridae : Ennominae
Purple Thorn
SELENIA tetralunaria (Hufnagel, 1767)
Purple Thorn
SELENIA tetralunaria (Hufnagel, 1767)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 46 - 52mm(first brood) : 44 - 46mm(second brood)
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - not Ireland and the Balkans - far eastwards as Japan
UK Distribution: England & Wales - Fairly well distributed and frequent : Further north of Yorkshire & Scotland - local : Isle of Man - local : Channel Isles : rare
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Gardens : Woodland : Scrub : Heathland
Similar Species:-
The final instar larva tends to range in colour between light and dark brown.The larva is well camouflaged looking like the end of a sturdy branch with the head looking like the new years bud growth. The body girth increases at the 6th and 7th segment remaining like this towards the rear of the larva making it look fatter one end than the other like a branch displaying new growth.
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa just below ground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: As can be seen from the photos below the moth rests with its wings partially open with the forewings slightly curled.
Although similar to this moth the Lunar Thorn Selenia lunularia lacks the dark spots adjacent to the dorsum on the hindwing and the postmedial line on the forewing is straighter.
The silvery crescents on the forewing are larger in this moth than its similar species, the postmedial line turns are right angles to the costa and the scalloping on the hindwing is less shallower.
Individuals encountered in the summer months tends to be smaller than the first brood and also tend to lose the "purple" colour and are more likely to be a tawny brown.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - not Ireland and the Balkans - far eastwards as Japan
UK Distribution: England & Wales - Fairly well distributed and frequent : Further north of Yorkshire & Scotland - local : Isle of Man - local : Channel Isles : rare
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena tetralunaria (Hufnagel, 1767)
- Geometra illunaria Hübner, 1799
- Not Specified
Habitat: Gardens : Woodland : Scrub : Heathland
Similar Species:-
- Lunar Thorn Selenia lunularia (Hübner, [1788])
The final instar larva tends to range in colour between light and dark brown.The larva is well camouflaged looking like the end of a sturdy branch with the head looking like the new years bud growth. The body girth increases at the 6th and 7th segment remaining like this towards the rear of the larva making it look fatter one end than the other like a branch displaying new growth.
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa just below ground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: As can be seen from the photos below the moth rests with its wings partially open with the forewings slightly curled.
Although similar to this moth the Lunar Thorn Selenia lunularia lacks the dark spots adjacent to the dorsum on the hindwing and the postmedial line on the forewing is straighter.
The silvery crescents on the forewing are larger in this moth than its similar species, the postmedial line turns are right angles to the costa and the scalloping on the hindwing is less shallower.
Individuals encountered in the summer months tends to be smaller than the first brood and also tend to lose the "purple" colour and are more likely to be a tawny brown.
Photo Gallery
Identification Guide Purple/Early/Lunar Thorn
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Purple Thorn larvae are polyphagous,feeding on plant families described below plant photos.
Purple Thorn larvae are polyphagous,feeding on plant families described below plant photos.
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.
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Alnus incana - Grey Alder
- Alnus japonica - Japanese Alder
- Betula pendula - Silver Birch
- Betula pubescens - Downy Birch
- Corylus avellana - Hazel
- Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family
- Lonicera involucrata syn xylosteum - Twinberry-Dwarf Honeysuckle
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Quercus acutissima - Sawthorn Oak
- Quercus cerris - Turkey Oak
- Quercus glauca - Ring-cup Oak
- Oleceae - Mesophytic Shrubs - Trees - Vines
- Fraxinus excelsior - Ash
- Rhamnaceae - The Buckthorn Family
- Rhamnus frangula - Alder Buckthorn
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Prunus padus - Bird Cherry - Hackberry
- Prunus salicina - Japanese Plum - Chinese Plum
- Pyrus pyrifolia - Sand Pear
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus nigra - Black Poplar - Lombardy Poplar
- Populus nigra - Black Poplar - Lombardy Poplar
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 - SELENIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Ennomini SELENIA Hübner [1823] Selenia tetralunaria (Hufnagel, 1767) - Geometra illunaria Hübner, 1799 - PHALAENA tetralunaria (Hufnagel, 1767) =Selenia illustria Hübner, [1799] =Selenia lunaria Fabricius, 1775 =Selenia quadrilunaria Esper, [1801] =Selenia phoebearia cabinet, 1802 =Selenia coreana Wehrli, 1940 - Berlin. Magazin. 4 (5) : Title Page : p.506 - n.3 - Not Specified - S.t.f.aestiva Staudinger, 1891 - Summer Brood - smaller & orangey S.t.f.obscura Lempke, 1951 - wings brown/black,not russet hue - 1st brood S.t.f.clara Lempke, 1951 - background brownish yellow - 1st brood S.t.f.rufescens Lempke, 1951 - russet couloured - female S.t.f.nigrolineata Lempke, 1951 - cross lines and median area blackish S.t.f.aurantiaca Lempke, 1951 - wing background orangey S.t.f.nigrescens Cockayne & Kettlewell, 1949 - melanistic form S.t.f.pallimarginata Lempke, 1970 - wings outer area whitish S.t.f.postmaculata Lempke , 1970 - Black postmedial points line up on hindwing - summer brood |