Willow Beauty
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| Willow Beauty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Peribatodes rhomboidaria Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 |
The Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species of Europe, the Near East and North Africa.
The wings of this species are whitish, heavily speckled with brown or black dots, giving it a buff or grey appearance, and marked with dark fascia. Melanic forms sometimes occur. The wingspan is 40-48 mm. Either one or two broods are produced each year and the adults are on the wing from June to September . It flies at night and is attracted to light.
The larva is reddish-brown and feeds on a variety of trees and shrubs (see list below), but apparently never on willows[verification needed]. The species overwinters as a small larva.
- ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
[edit] Recorded food plants
- Betula - Birch
- Camellia sinensis - Tea
- Clematis
- Crataegus - Hawthorn
- Hedera - Ivy
- Malus - Apple
- Prunus
- Taxus - Yew
- Vitis - Grapevine
[edit] Subspecies
- P. r. rhomboidaria
- P. r. sublutearia
[edit] References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
