swallow-tailed moth
{{For|the other similarly named moths|Nepheloleuca complicata|Lyssa zampa}}
{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Ourapteryx sambucaria01..jpg
| taxon = Ourapteryx sambucaria
| authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)
| synonyms = {{Specieslist
|Phalaena sambucaria|Linnaeus, 1758
|Urapteryx sambucaria|
}}
}}
The swallow-tailed moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) 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 a common species across Europe and the Near East.
Image:Ourapteryx.sambucaria.caterpillar.jpg
Description
This is a large (wingspan 50–62 mm), impressive moth, remarkably butterfly-like. All parts of the adult are bright white to pale yellow marked with faint buffish fascia. The species gets its common name from pointed projections on the termen of the hindwing with brownish spots at their base. It flies at night in June and July {{ref|flight_season}} and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers. Prout gives an account of the variations.Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.[https://archive.org/details/macrolepidoptera1216seit pdf *]{{PD-notice}} The egg is orange, with about 16 longitudinal keels and between them transverse lineations. The larva
is grey-brown, the colouring arranged in a succession of scarcely noticeable longitudinal lines.
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic male dorsal.jpg| ♂
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic male ventral.jpg| ♂ △
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic female dorsal.jpg|♀
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic female ventral.jpg|♀ △
The brown, twig-like larva feeds on a variety of trees and shrubs including elder, hawthorn, honeysuckle and ivy. The species overwinters as a larva.
- {{Note|flight_season}}The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References
{{Reflist}}
- Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
- Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
External links
{{commonscat|Ourapteryx sambucaria}}
- [https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=1665 Swallow-tailed moth on UKMoths]
- [http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Ourapteryx_Sambucaria Lepiforum e.V.]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1625300}}
Category:Moths described in 1758
Category:Geometrid moths of Great Britain
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Ourapterygini-stub}}