Geometridae : Enomminae
Common Heath
EMATURGA atomaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Heath
EMATURGA atomaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 22-34mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Asia Minor : Caucasus : Transcaucasia : W.Siberia : Kazakhstan : Middle Asia : Tibet
UK Distribution: Resident. Southern England-most abundant : Elsewhere found locally abundant in mainland Britain : Hebrides : Orkney Isles : Isle of Man : Channel Isles- locally on Jersey
UK Conservation Status -
Habitat: Heathland : Moorland : Meadows : Calcareous Grassland : Woodland rides : Roadside verges.
Similar Species -
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa : Flimsy cocoon on or just below ground level.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The Common Heath moth is variable with background colour ranging from white on the female to light brown,yellowish brown to grey.
The brown cross bands on both forewings and hindwinds tend to vary in width and in some instances there are no cross bands at all only dark freckles.
Antennae vary considerably between male and female of the species with the males being feathery,increasing the surface area of antennae, which enables them to sniff out the females at night more efficiently before courtship and mating,and the females having two singular straight antennae.
The moth similar species Latticed Heath C.clathrata is a beatifully marked moth with strong vein markings on both forewing and hindwings which make it easy to distinguish between the two species.
The small form found on the northern moors is named a E.a.f.minuta.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Asia Minor : Caucasus : Transcaucasia : W.Siberia : Kazakhstan : Middle Asia : Tibet
UK Distribution: Resident. Southern England-most abundant : Elsewhere found locally abundant in mainland Britain : Hebrides : Orkney Isles : Isle of Man : Channel Isles- locally on Jersey
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = >300 10Km Squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
- Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
- Europe-Locality unknown
Habitat: Heathland : Moorland : Meadows : Calcareous Grassland : Woodland rides : Roadside verges.
Similar Species -
- Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Pupa: Overwinters as a pupa : Flimsy cocoon on or just below ground level.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The Common Heath moth is variable with background colour ranging from white on the female to light brown,yellowish brown to grey.
The brown cross bands on both forewings and hindwinds tend to vary in width and in some instances there are no cross bands at all only dark freckles.
Antennae vary considerably between male and female of the species with the males being feathery,increasing the surface area of antennae, which enables them to sniff out the females at night more efficiently before courtship and mating,and the females having two singular straight antennae.
The moth similar species Latticed Heath C.clathrata is a beatifully marked moth with strong vein markings on both forewing and hindwings which make it easy to distinguish between the two species.
The small form found on the northern moors is named a E.a.f.minuta.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants
Common Heath larvae feed on plant families described below plant photos.
The larvae also feed on the following list of hostplant names :-
Common Heath larvae feed on plant families described below plant photos.
The larvae also feed on the following list of hostplant names :-
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.
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster-Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Arctium minus - Lesser Burdock
- Artemesia vulgaris - Mugwort
- Solidago virgaurea - Goldenrod
- Tanacetum vulgare - Tansy
- Betulaceae - Birch Family
- Betula pendula - Silver Birch
- Betula pubescens - White Birch : Downy Birch
- Ericaceae - Heather Family
- Erica cinerea - Bell Heather - Heather Bell
- Calluna vulgaris - Common Heather - Ling
- Ledum palustre - Wild Rosemary
- Vaccinium myrtilus - Bilberry - Blue Whortleberry
- Vaccinium uliginosum - Bog Bilberry
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea Family
- Lotus corniculatus - Bird's-foot Trefoil
- Trifolium repens - White Clover - Dutch Clover
- Hypericaceae - Dilleniid - Dicot Family
- Hypericum maculatum - Imperforate St John's-wort
- Lamiaceae - Labiatae - The Mint Family
- Thymus polytrichus ssp britanicus - Wild Thyme
- Thymus polytrichus ssp britanicus - Wild Thyme
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Sorbus aucuparia - Mountain Ash - Rowan
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Salix aurita - Eared Sallow
- Salix lapponum - Downy Willow - Lapland Willow
- Salix phylicifolia -Tea-leaved Willow
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Cyperaceae - Carex - Sedges
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - EMATURGA: Original Species Name: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Nominotypical Subspecies: Forms/Aberrations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Ennominae Boarmiini EMATURGA Lederer, 1853 Ematurga atomaria (Linnaeus, 1758) - Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758) - PHALAENA atomaria (Linnaeus 1758) - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.521 - n.140 - Europe-Locality unknown - Phalaena atomaria atomaria Linnaeus 1758 - E.a.ustaria Fuchs, 1901-Brown speckled extend to all wings E.a.unicoloraria Staudinger, 1871-Background dark brown E.a.ochria Rebel, 1910-Background uniform yellow E.a.coloraria Stauder, 1920-Male whitish colour of female with yellow touch E.a.nigrescens Lempke, 1953-Male wings blackish,space between cross-lines sprinkled with black E.a.tenuilineata Lempke, 1953-Fine cross-lines on male E.a.dentaria Stauder, 1920-Cross lines tooth-like E.a.ophthalmaria Stauder, 1920-On forewing antemidial and median lines establish the boundaries of small loop near costa E.a.ochrearia Rebel, 1910-Wings have no light ochre markings E.a.fasciata Heqvist, 1950-Distal area duller looking E.a.pseudoclathrata Heydemann, 1930-On forewings median and postmedial lines joined by line in middle E.a.postclara Leraut-Hindwing darkened on margin E.a.bicolor Leraut-Forewing whitish with brown margin,fine brown cross-lines,hindwing yellow with brown margin E.a.ornata Leraut-Brown forewing,except narrow postmedial line and yellowish subterminal line,hindwing similar but with more yellow before margin E.a.virilis Stauder, 1915-Background female yellowish brown as male E.a.latelineata Biezanko, 1924-Female cross-lines thick E.a.unimarginata Cornelsen, 1923-Female wings-only subterminal line showing against pale background E.a.bistrigaria Heydemann, 1930-Female wings-postmedial & subterminal lines visible only E.a.felisis Krausse, 1915-Female-background whitish-postmedial line missing E.a.juncta Lempke, 1953-Forewing-female-inner cross-lines join up on inner margin E.a.mediofasciata Nordström, 1941-Forewing cross-lines form dark band E.a.diluta Lempke, 1970-Cross-lines present-colour washed out E.a.centrilineata Lempke, 1970-Basal & submarginal lines missing E.a.radiata Lempke, 1970-Veins on wings darkened,same colour as cross-lines E.a.margisignata Lempke, 1970-Submarginal line on wings white and clearly visible - E.a.atomaria Linnaeus, 1758-Southern England : Northern France-Larger & darker than minuta-Heather species E.a.minuta Heydemann, 1925-Germany : Denmark : N Belgium : Nordic countries-Smaller than nominate species-duller looking E.a.microcosma Fourcroy, 1785-South of France : Jersey-lighter brown,light yellow or ochre yellow background E.a.isocelata Scopoli, 1763-Alps-Maritimes,Italy to the Middle East-Ochre-yellow E.a.transalpinaria Frings, 1909-Alps-background brownish orange E.a.alpicolaria Vorbrodt & Müller-Rutz, 1917-Northern Alps-Small sombre looking. E.a.zetterstedtaria Heydemann, 1930 E.a.orientaria Staudinger, 1871 E.a.meinhardi Krulikovsky, 1909 E.a.krassnojarscensis Fuchs, 1899 E.a.alpicolaria Vorbrodt & Muller-Rutz, 1917 E.a.arenaria Candeze, 1926 |