Clouded border


The clouded border is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed across most of Europe to the Urals, western and central Siberia, Transbaikalia, Kazakhstan, Tian-Shan, northern Mongolia and parts of the Near East.

Description

This is a very distinctive species with white wings marked with black blotches around the margins. The amount of black varies, with the males usually having more extensive black areas than the females. Occasionally almost entirely white or black individuals are seen, although this is rare. The wingspan is 24–28 mm. Lomaspilis marginata is extremely variable. Linnaeus's form has complete black border to both wings, also on the forewing additional spots or patches at base and middle of costa.
Aberrations:
It flies at night in June and July and is attracted to light.
The egg is yellow green, with hexagonal reticulation.
The larva, pale green with darker dorsal lines and a purplish anal spot, usually feeds on aspen and sallow but has also been recorded on birch, hazel and poplar. The species overwinters as a pupa, sometimes remaining in this form for up to four years.

Subspecies

  1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.