| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Aspilates, Semiaspilates Wehrli.
Adults. Antennae of males bipectinate; bipectinate to the apex. Face smooth.
Wingspan 28–38 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved. Forewings ochreous-yellow, or pale ochreous-yellow, with a darker ochreous or fuscous postmedian line or with this and another near the base; predominantly ochreous, or cream, or yellow; with a clear discal mark (this fuscous or grey). Forewings of the male without a fovea. Hindwings plain; yellowish-white, paler than the forewings; with a clear discal mark; transversely lined (with only a faint or faint and incomplete second line).
Hindwings lacking a tubular vein 5. Vein 8 of the hindwings approximated to or anastomosed with the upper margin of the cell to the middle or beyond. Hindwing veins 6 and 7 separate.
Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on Lotus, Thymus, Potentilla, etc.
British representation. 2 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Living adults found in August. A. gilvaria (Straw Belle), A. ochrearia (Yellow Belle, = Semiaspilates).
Subfamily. Ennominae.
Illustrations. • Aspitates, Dyscia, Glacies, Perconia, Siona: Newman. 1a-b, Siona lineata (Black-veined Moth, upper- and under-sides); 2, Glacies coracina (Black Mountain Moth); 3, Perconia strigillaria (Grass Wave); 4, Aspitates ochrearia (Yellow Belle); 5, Aspitates gilvaria (Straw Belle); 6a-b, Dyscia fagaria (Grey Scalloped Bar, female and male). From Newman, 1869. • Ennominae: Aspitates gilvaria (Straw Belle: B. Ent. 467). • Aspitates gilvaria: B. Ent. 467, legend+text. • Aspitates gilvaria: B. Ent. 467, text cont.. • Ennominae: Aspitates, Semiothisa, Perconia, Siona (Kirby). ENNOMINAE. 1, Aspitates gilvaria (Straw Belle); 2, Semiothisa notata (Peacock Moth); 3, Perconia strigillaria (Grass Wave); 4, Siona lineata (Black Veined Moth). • Forewing and hindwing neuration: A. notha and other Geometridae.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 14th February 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
