Autumnal moth
The autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1794. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and has a much wider distribution than its two close relatives (see below). In Sápmi (Lapland), in some years, the numerous autumnal moth larvae defoliate square miles of birch forests on mountains.[1]
| Autumnal moth | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Epirrita |
| Species: | E. autumnata |
| Binomial name | |
| Epirrita autumnata (Borkhausen, 1794) | |
Description edit
This species is very similar to the November moth, the small Autumnal moth, and the pale November moth, and identification is usually only possible by examining the genitalia.[2] In general, this is the least variable of the four, with melanic forms occurring less often. It is also usually on the wing earlier in the year, flying in September and October,[1] although the flight seasons of all three species overlap.
The caterpillar feeds on a wide variety of trees and shrubs.[3][4] The species overwinters as an egg.
Subspecies edit
- E. a. altivagata
- E. a. autumnata
Notes edit
- ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References edit
- ^ Haukioja, Erkki; Hanhimäki, Sinikka (1985). "Rapid wound-induced resistance in white birch (Betula pubescens) foliage to the geometrid Epirrita autumnata: a comparison of trees and moths within and outside the outbreak range of the moth". Oecologia. 65 (2): 223–232. doi:10.1007/BF00379221.
- ^ Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species. Butterfly Conservation.
- ^ Sadik Tuzun and Elizabeth Bent, 2006
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2008). "Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii". globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Strõmberg 2009-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- 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
- Tuzun, Sadik & Bent, Elizabeth (2006). Multigenic and Induced Systemic Resistance in Plants, published by Birkhäuser, 521 pages ISBN 0-387-23265-6
External links edit
- Autumnal moth at UKMoths
- Lepiforum e.V.