Idaea politaria

(Hübner, [1799])

  • Subfamily: Sterrhinae, Sterrhini
  • Wingspan: 14-19 mm
  • Flight period: Jun - Jul
  • Spread: Uncommon
  • Host plants: Polyphagous

Information

The Idaea politaria is a moth of the Geometridae family, subfamily Sterrhinae, with a wingspan of 14-19 mm.
It is distributed in Western and Southern Europe in particular in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, in the Balkan Peninsula, in Switzerland, in France, in Spain and Portugal.
in Italy it is present in the islands *.

The wings, of the Idaea politaria , have a basic color ranging from cream to light brown. A dark line, wavy and parallel to the edge, crosses all four wings. The band between this line and the margin is most of the time dark in color but sometimes appears in the base color of the wing. Another, less visible, dashed line runs along the edge.
The costa is dark in color up to the post-discal region. The edge of the wings is fringed. It has a cellular point on all four wings.

The hind wings are the same color as the front ones. Head, thorax and abdomen are in the background color of the wings.

This moth flies in a single generation, univoltine in June, although some "late" specimens can be seen in July. The preferred habitats are humid ones such as embankments and floodplain areas of rivers and wet forests. ***

The caterpillar is usually brown, rough, with small growths all over the body; a lateral line, not well defined, darker. Darker intersegmental markings are often seen dorsally. **

The larva is polyphagous and feeds on dry leaves of various herbaceous plants. ***


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Roland Robineau, Guide de papillons nocturne de France, Delachaux et Niestlé, 2011 p.39

Idaea politaria
Idaea politaria
Idaea politaria