''Camptogramma bilineata'', the yellow shell, is a colourful

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metr ...

. The species was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It can be found in Europe and east across the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Si ...

to the Altai Mountains.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 20–25 mm. The color of the forewings and hindwings is yellow to ochre brown (occasionally light). The forewings and hindwings are covered with brown or white serrated crossbars. There are usually three or four distinct white crossbars, which may be bordered by a black line. The wing margin is black and wavy. The yellowish eggs are round, only slightly flattened at the pole. The surface shows a large mesh. There are warts on the intersections. The caterpillars are greenish to slightly brownish with obvious segment incisions. The dorsal line is darker than the body color. The lateral line, on the other hand, is often brighter. The head is usually light brown and relatively small. The pupa is reddish brown with a short cremaster, consisting of two small bristles. The thoracic area and the wings have a brownish-greenish hue.Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgar
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Biology

The species shows no preferences for special biotopes. It flies both in forest and open lands, as well as in wet and dry places. On herbaceous forest edges, however, there is a higher density of moths. In the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

it is found up to 1,600 metres above sea level. It is common, but in very different numbers from year to year. The moths fly from June to August.. The larvae feed on various low-growing plants such as

chickweed ''Stellaria media'', chickweed, is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.Fernald, M. L. 1950. “Gray's Manual of Botany”. Eight Edition. American Book Company, New York, NY. 1632 pp. It is native to Euras ...

sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

and other species from the family

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1 ...

Gallery

Image:Camptogramma bilineata01.jpg, Male Image:Camptogramma bilineata02.jpg, Female Image:Camptogramma.bilineata5.-.lindsey.jpg, Caterpillar

Notes

#''The flight season refers to the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

References

External links

Yellow shell at ''UKMoths''''Lepiforum e.V.''''De Vlinderstichting''
Euphyia Moths described in 1758 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of North America Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Xanthorhoini-stub