- Autumnal Moth
Taxobox
name = Autumnal Moth
image_width = 240px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Insect a
ordo =Lepidoptera
familia =Geometridae
genus = "Epirrita "
species = "E. autumnata"
binomial = "Epirrita autumnata"
binomial_authority = Borkhausen, 1794The Autumnal Moth "(Epirrita autumnata)" is amoth of the familyGeometridae . It is found throughout thePalearctic region and theNear East and has a much wider distribution than its two close relatives (see below). In Lapland, in some years the numerous autumnal mothlarvae may kill square miles of birch forests on mountains.This species is very similar to the
November Moth andPale November Moth and identification is usually only possible by examining thegenitalia . In general this is the least variable of the three with melanic forms occurring less often. It is also usually on the wing earlier in the year, flying in September and October ref|flight_season, although the flight seasons of all three species overlap.The
larva feeds on a wide variety oftree s andshrub s (see below). The species overwinters as an egg.# "The flight season refers to the
British Isles . This may vary in other parts of the range."Recorded food plants
*"Abies" -
Fir
*"Alnus" -Alder
*"Betula" -Birch
*"Carpinus" -Hornbeam
*"Corylus" -Hazel
*"Crataegus" - Hawthorn
*"Larix" -Larch
*"Lonicera" -Honeysuckle
*"Malus" -Apple
*"Picea" -Spruce
*"Pinus" -Pine
*"Populus" -Poplar
*"Prunus "
*"Pseudotsuga" -Douglas-fir
*"Quercus" -Oak
*"Salix" -Willow
*"Sorbus" -Rowan
*"Thuja" -Western Redcedar
*"Tilia " - Lime
*"Tsuga " - Hemlock
*"Ulmus" -Elm
*"Vaccinium "
*"Viburnum" -Nannyberry Subspecies
*"E. a. altivagata"
*"E. a. autumnata"External links
* [http://www.hlasek.com/epirrita_autumnata_10305.html Autumnal Moth at hlasek.com]
References
Chinery, Michael "Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe" 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
Skinner, Bernard "
Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles " 1984
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