The scalloped hazel (''Odontopera bidentata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759.

Distribution

It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Isles and Russia to the Urals. It is also widespread through Siberia and the Amur- Ussuri region to the Kuril Islands and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Description

The wingspan is 46–50 mm. The forewing ground colour is usually grey brown. The same coloured midfield is bordered by blackish crossbars that are often partly white. At the wing edge below the apex are two characteristic, protruding teeth. The scientific name of the species is derived from the Latin language ''bi'' = "twice" and ''dentatus'' = "toothed". The outer dark crossline of the forewings continues on the hindwings. All wings have a ring-shaped dark discal spots. The thorax is hairy. This is a very variable species with the wing colour ranging from whitish through buff and brown to black, sometimes with variegation, but it is always easily identifiable by the white discal spot on each wing and the characteristic "ragged" margin of the wings. Last instar caterpillars have a brownish colouration. However, other colour variations may also occur. Characteristic are two small humps on the penultimate segment as well as two dark, capsule-like protrusions on the head. The adults fly at night in May and June and are attracted to light. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

is green or brown and twig like, and feeds on a variety of plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa. #''The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

Biology

Habitats include deciduous and mixed woodland, bog forests and parklands.

Larval food plants

*''Alnus'' – grey alder *''Arctium'' –

burdock ''Arctium'' is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mecha ...

*''Artemisia'' – mugwort *''Betula'' – birch *''Cirsium'' –

creeping thistle ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

*''Crataegus'' – hawthorn *''Fraxinus'' – European ash *''Hedera'' – ivy *''Larix'' – larch *''Ligustrum'' – privet *'' Malus'' – apple *''Picea'' –

Norway spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...

*''Pinus'' – Scots pine *''Populus'' – poplar *''Prunus'' –

bird cherry Bird cherry is a common name for the European plant '' Prunus padus''. Bird cherry may also refer to: * ''Prunus'' subg. ''Padus'', a group of species closely related to ''Prunus padus'' * ''Prunus avium'', the cultivated cherry, with the Latin e ...

*''Quercus'' – oak *''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

'' *'' Ribes'' – currant *''Salix'' – willow *''Sorbus'' –

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

*''

Tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain a ...

'' – lime *''Trifolium'' – red clover *''Vaccinium'' – bilberry

Subspecies

* ''Odontopera bidentata bidentata'' (Clerck, 1759) (Europe) * ''Odontopera bidentata exsul'' Tschetverikov, 1904 (eastern Asia) * ''Odontopera bidentata kurilana'' Bryk, 1942 (the Kuriles)

References

* Chinery, Michael (1986, reprinted 1991). ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe''. * Skinner, Bernard (1984). ''

The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles ''The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera)'' by Bernard Skinner is a single volume identification guide to the macromoths of Britain and Ireland published by Viking Books, often referred by moth recorders ...

''.

External links

*
''Fauna Europaea''''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q1243483 Ennomini Moths described in 1759 Geometrid moths of Great Britain Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Japan Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck