Geometridae : Ennominae
Spring Usher
AGRIOPIS leucophaearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Spring Usher
AGRIOPIS leucophaearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 23 - 28mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe to Kazakhstan : N Africa : Middle East
UK Distribution: England & Wales - Well distributed & locally abundant : Scotland - few sightings in the mainland : Isle of Man - rare : Ireland - very rare : Channel Isles - local & occasional
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Forests & hedgerows containing mature oaks
Similar Species:-
Pupa: Pupates underground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth is the smallest member of its related species with its triangular shaped wings with curved costa and rounded apex.
It is an extremely variable species but with features that can distinguish it from its similar species.The inner median traverse line is somewhat curved but the outer traverse line is wavy,both lines usually showing clearly against a whiteish or light grey background although the species shown above has fragmented traverse lines.Either side of these traverse lines are darkened areas. There is usually an fine orange line that runs through the centre of the wing and joins both median traverse lines.
With some variations of this moth the black dark areas are replaced by darkish brown whereas the median area tends to be light brown.
The smallish wingless female is usually dark grey to black with short wing stumps. She can often be found at the base of a tree early morning but the male flies soon after dark usually spending the day on tree trunks or hiding in crevices.
Being one of our earliest species in the year there is a reliance on warmer evenings to record this species and as such it is possibly under recorded.
The males are attracted to light often appearing at the moth trap in good numbers.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe to Kazakhstan : N Africa : Middle East
UK Distribution: England & Wales - Well distributed & locally abundant : Scotland - few sightings in the mainland : Isle of Man - rare : Ireland - very rare : Channel Isles - local & occasional
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Geometra leucophaearia Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
- Geometra leucophaearia Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
- Austria - Vienna district
Habitat: Forests & hedgerows containing mature oaks
Similar Species:-
- Mottled Umber ERANNIS defoliaria Clerck, 1759
Pupa: Pupates underground
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: This moth is the smallest member of its related species with its triangular shaped wings with curved costa and rounded apex.
It is an extremely variable species but with features that can distinguish it from its similar species.The inner median traverse line is somewhat curved but the outer traverse line is wavy,both lines usually showing clearly against a whiteish or light grey background although the species shown above has fragmented traverse lines.Either side of these traverse lines are darkened areas. There is usually an fine orange line that runs through the centre of the wing and joins both median traverse lines.
With some variations of this moth the black dark areas are replaced by darkish brown whereas the median area tends to be light brown.
The smallish wingless female is usually dark grey to black with short wing stumps. She can often be found at the base of a tree early morning but the male flies soon after dark usually spending the day on tree trunks or hiding in crevices.
Being one of our earliest species in the year there is a reliance on warmer evenings to record this species and as such it is possibly under recorded.
The males are attracted to light often appearing at the moth trap in good 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.
- Fagaceaea - Oak-Chestnut & Beech Family
- Castenea crenata - Japanese Chestnut
- Quercus acutissima - Sawthorn Oak
- Quercus mongolica - Mongolian Oak
- Quercus petraea - Sessile Oak
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
- Quercus serrata - Korean Oak
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - AGRIOPIS: Original Species Name: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Bistonini AGRIOPIS Hübner, [1825] Agriopis leucophaearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - Geometra leucophaearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - GEOMETRA leucophaearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.101 - n.11 - Austria - Vienna region - A.i.f.crassestrigata Lempke, 1953 - traverse lines possibly black and wide on forewing A.l.f.brunneostrigata Lempke, 1953 - traverse lines brown not black A.l.f.trilinearia Sibille, 1905 - 3 black traverse lines instead of 2 A.l.f.confusaria Preiecker, 1922 - traverse lines meet,are A.l.f.obsolata Lempke, 1953 - traverse lines weak and inconsistent A.l.f.desparsata Heydemann, 1938 - background white,lacking dark speckling A.l.f.brunneoalbata Lempke, 1953- as above with brown traverse lines A.l.f.uniformata Lempke, 1953 - as despata bur forewing light grey,distinct black travers lines A.l.f.uniformataobsoleta Lempke, 1953 - as above no traverse lines A.l.f.flavilinea Lerautveins distinct yellow A.l.f.flavescens Lempke, 1953 - wing background yellow A.l.f.medioobscuraria Ufflen, 1905 - median area whitish A.l.f.brunneomarmorata Lempke, 1953 - basal & outer areas brown to light brown A.l.f.fuscomarmorata Lempke, 1953- as above but dark brown/blackish brown A.l.f.rufomarmorata Lempke, 1953 -as baove but brown-russet A.l.f.intermedia Lempke, 1953 - dark grey/dark grey-brown A.l.f.nigricaria Hübner,1799 - forewing basal & outer areas black A.l.f.effusa Lempke, 1953 - as above,traverse lines absent,two tones diffuse A.l.f.pallidalinea Lempke, 1953 - as nigricaria,white areas reduced A.l.f.brunnescens Lempke, 1953 - forewings grey-brown to light brown,clear traverse lines A.l.f.merularia Weymer, 1878four wings smokey black A.l.f.grisescens Lempke, 1953 - dark grey colour,traverse lines present A.l.f.approximata Lempke, 1953 - median area narrow,traverse lines dont touch |