70.241 : 1921 : 7654
Geometridae : Ennominae

Scalloped Oak

CROCALLIS elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 32-41mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe(not Corsica,Sardinia & Cyprus) - eastwards to Japan and the Amur region of NE China - SE Siberia : Middle East
UK Distribution: Widespread and frequent throughout British Isles,Isle of Man,Ireland and Channel Isles
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = > 300 10Km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Species - Crocallis
  • Phalaena elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Not Specified
Flight Period: June to mid September
Habitat: Woodland : Parks : Gardens : Scrub
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: The 45mm final instar "looper" larva looks just like a twig with bud spur on the end when it uses its anal clasper and proleg to rest on a branch,hold its body rigid at an angle off the branch and tucks its real legs in close to its head.On lighter larva viewed from the side, below the spiracles, is light brown, with cream leaf like shapes and above the spiracles is cream with two light brown lateral lines.Viewed on top there is reddish brown dorsal line which opens out at each abdominal segment to form an oval or diamond patch.Either side of this lateral line are another lateral line which follows the dorsal line forming a radius around the oval or diamond patches.
There is a slight prominence on top between the proleg and anal clasper.
With larva in variable in shades of brown and grey the diamond or oval markings along the dorsal area become indistinct.
Larvae hatch in late March and feed during the night until they are fully grown in June.
Pupa: Pupates in a cocoon under moss or loose earth.
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: This moth is a distinctive species with its yellowish ground colour and median area in brown and two large black discal spots.The antemdial and postmedial lines are pronounced in dark brown.
The hindwings are usually the yellowish base colour with feint postmedial line and discal spot.
The moth has several forms like f.unicolor Prout, 1915 where the moth is russet brown all over with strong black discal spots and f.fusca Reutti, 1905 where the wings are suffused black.

The moth is attracted to light and can be found in reasonable numbers at the moth trap.


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.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - CROCALLIS :

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Forms:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometroidea
Geometridae
Ennominae
Gonodontini
CROCALLIS Treitschke 1825
Crocallis elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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PHALAENA elinguaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.520 - n.137
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Not Specified
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C.e.f.fasciata Gillner, 1908 - median area uniform brown
C.e.f.defasciata Lempke, 1951 - devoid of brown scales
C.e.f.nigrolineata Lempke, 1951 - cross lines black
C.e.f.delineata Lempke, 1951 - cross lines missing
C.e.f.obviaria Ljungdahl, 1918 - cross lines converge
C.e.f.pallida Lempke, 1951 - wings whitish yellow
C.e.f.aurantiaca Lempke, 1951 - wings yellow orange
C.e.f.impuncta Lempke, 1970 - discal spot absent
C.e.f.marginenuda Lempke, 1951 - marginal edging missing
C.e.f.reticulata Lempke, 1951 - dark streaks on wings
C.e.f.triangularis Lempke, 1970 - cross lines join and delimit a triangle
C.e.f.undulata Lempke, 1970 - four wings edging stretched into sinuous line
C.e.f.unicolor Prout, 1915 - forewings russet with no markings
C.e.f.trapevaria Boisduval, 1840 - wings pale colour ,forewing with cross lines widely spaced
C.e.f.fusca Reutti, 1905 - wings suffused with blackish brown tone