Abraxas sylvata

Clouded magpie
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Abraxas
Species:
A. sylvata
Binomial name
Abraxas sylvata
Synonyms
  • Phalaena sylvata Scopoli, 1763
  • Phalaena ulmata Fabricius, 1775
  • Calospilos sylvata Scopoli, 1763

Abraxas sylvata, the clouded magpie, is a Palearctic moth of the family Geometridae that was named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763.

Description

This moth is mostly white with brownish patches across all of the wings. There are small areas of pale gray on the forewings and hindwings. They resemble bird droppings while resting on the upper surface of leaves. The wingspan is 38 mm. to 48 mm.[1] The wings are thinly scaled and partially transparent, with a white ground colour. The forewings are yellow-brown at the base and have a large, yellow and black spot at the dorsal edge, otherwise scattered, light grey spots, some of which form a cross-band in the outer part of the wing. The hindwings have a yellow and black spot at the edge of the inner edge, otherwise scattered, light grey spots. The larva has black and yellow longitudinal stripes.[1]

  • ♂
    ♂
  • ♂ △
    ♂ △
  • ♀
    ♀
  • ♀ △
    ♀ △

Subspecies

  • Abraxas sylvata sylvata
  • Abraxas sylvata microtate Wehrli, 1931 (Japan)[2]

Biology

The adults fly from late May to early August. They are attracted to light. The moth is nocturnal and is easy to find during the day.[3] They are easy to find resting during the morning.[4] The moth starts being active at early dusk.[5] The moths eat the plants Betula, Corylus, Fagus, Ulmus, Prunus, and Frangula.[6] Caterpillars appear from mid-July to early October. They overwinter as a pupa. The body of the caterpillar is distinctive because it is marked with longitudinal black and yellow stripes.[7] The caterpillars feed on wych elm and European elm.[3] The pupa hibernates underground. The caterpillars live on several deciduous trees such as Fagus sylvatica, Ulmus glabra, and Ulmus procera.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The species can be found from Europe to Japan.[1] The moth can be found in forests, thickets, and sometimes parks on various deciduous trees.[8]

Other

Abraxas grossulariata is similar to this species.[4] In a group of specimens of this species, the largest one is 60 mm. while the smallest one is 31 mm. The moth is more common in the East Palearctic than in Europe.[9] The species is listed as a priority species in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Clouded Magpie". The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  2. ^ Japanese Moths
  3. ^ a b "1885 Clouded Magpie (Abraxas sylvata) Han". Hantsmoths. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  4. ^ a b "1885 Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata, (Scopoli, 1763)". Huntingdonshire Moth & Butterfly Group. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  5. ^ a b "Abraxas sylvata (Scopoli, 1763)". Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  6. ^ "Abraxas sylvata Clouded Magpie (Scopoli, 1763)". Lepidoptera.se. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  7. ^ "1885 Clouded Magpie Abraxas sylvata (Scopoli, 1763)". UKMoths. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  8. ^ "Porcelain butterfly (Abraxas sylvata)". Vlindernet.nl. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  9. ^ Leech, John Henry (1897). "On Lepidoptera Heterocera from China, Japan, and Corea". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 6. 19. Taylor & Francis: 445 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Moth species recorded in the East Midlands Region". Butterfly Conservation. Archived from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
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