70.275 : 1952 : 7804
Geometridae : Enomminae

Common Heath

EMATURGA atomaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
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 -
  • Common = >300 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
Type Species - Ematurga
  • Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
Type Locality -
  • Europe-Locality unknown
Flight Period: May-June : partial second brood in August-Southern England only
Habitat:  Heathland : Moorland : Meadows : Calcareous Grassland : Woodland rides : Roadside verges.
Similar Species -
  • Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Larva: Mid June-Mid September.The final instar larva is extremely variable in colour and markings from brown,white and black markings akin to a pedestrian crossing to having central lateral lines in white,brown or yellowish and above and below this line being in light brown/dark brown,light brown/olive,yellowish/medium brown and another in light brown either side.
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 :-

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 - EMATURGA:

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Subspecies:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometroidea
Geometridae
Ennominae
Boarmiini
EMATURGA Lederer, 1853
Ematurga atomaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Phalaena atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
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PHALAENA atomaria (Linnaeus 1758)
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.521 - n.140
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Europe-Locality unknown
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Phalaena atomaria atomaria Linnaeus 1758
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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
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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