Latticed Heath

The latticed heath (''Chiasmia clathrata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae, belonging to the subfamily Ennominae, placed in the tribe Macariini. The genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.

Taxonomy

The current placement of the latticed heath in the genus ''Chiasmia'' follows from the revision by Malcolm J. Scoble (2002) of the tribe Macariini, when he showed that true ''Semiothisa'' species were restricted to the Americas. There are a number of described subspecies. Molecular work has confirmed the placement of the species within ''Chiasmia''.

Subspecies

Subspecies include:
* ''Chiasmia clathrata clathrata'' (Linné)
* ''Chiasmia clathrata centralasiae'' (Krulikowski, 1911)
* ''Chiasmia clathrata djakonovi'' (Kardakoff, 1928)
* ''Chiasmia clathrata kurilata'' (Bryk, 1942)

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found throughout Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and east through Russia, Siberia, Amur River, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Korea to Japan. It is a fairly common species in the British Isles.Skinner, B., 1984. ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' These moths inhabit a range of open areas, including grassland, moorland, and waste ground.

Description

Adult

''Chiasmia clathrata'' has a wingspan of 20–25 mm.''UKMoths''
/ref> In this rather variable species the background colour of the wings varies from yellowish to white, with a network of brown lines (hence its common name). These lines vary in thickness and sometimes the wings are almost entirely dark brown.

File:Chiasmia clathrata - Géomètre à barreaux MHNT.jpg , Female – dorsal and ventral sides
File: Chiasma clathrata02.jpg, Spread wings
File: Semiothisa clathrata 02.jpg, Underside, at night

Larva

The final instar larva is pale green with white lines, including a strong lateral line and thin dorsal lines along the body. Abdominal segments A1 through A5 have a strong white line across the rear end of each segment that ends just above the lateral line.Porter, J., 1997. ''The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles''. Viking Press, Harmondsworth, Middlesex. xii + 275 pp.

Ecology

In the British Isles there are one or two generations annually, with adults seen at any time from May to September. These moths are diurnal but they can also be observed at night where they are attracted to artificial light.Truxa, C., Fiedler, K. (2012), Attraction to light - from how far do moths (Lepidoptera) return to weak artificial sources of light? ''European Journal of Entomology'', 109 (1):77-84. Larvae feed on bedstraws (''Galium mollugo'', ''Galium verum'') and various legumes such as clovers (''Trifolium medium'', ''Trifolium pratense''), trefoils, lucerne (''Medicago sativa'') and meadow vetchling, primarily in June and July and from mid-August through September, though in Ireland and northern Britain larvae occur in July and August. The species overwinters as a pupa.

Bibliography

* , 1986. ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' (Reprinted 1991)
* , 2011. Phylogenetic relationships of selected European Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). ''European Journal of Entomology'' 108: 267–273.
* , 1997. ''The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles''. Viking Press, Harmondsworth, Middlesex. xii + 275 pp.
* , 1984. ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles''
* , 2002. A review of the genera of Macariini with a revised classification of the tribe (Geometridae: Ennominae). ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 134 (3): 257–315.

References

External links

* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil
''Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa''''Lepiforum e.V.''
*Heiner Ziegle
''Schmetterlinge der Schweiz''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25779

Macariini
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Moths of Africa
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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