Idaea subsericeata

• Subfamily: Sterrhinae, Sterrhini
• Wingspan: 18-24 mm
• Flight period: Jun - Sep
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Polyphagous

Information

The Idaea subsericeata is a moth of the Geometridae family, subfamily Sterrhinae, with a wingspan of 18-24 mm.
In Europe we find it in the Iberian Peninsula, United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenes, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The wings of the Idaea subsericeata have a cream background color, with darker and quite distinct longitudinal lines that cross both the fore and hind wings longitudinally; indistinct or absent central black points, points in the submarginal region much more distinct. The rib of the front wings is ocher in color and helps to recognize the species. The head, thorax and abdomen are the same color as the wings.

Adults fly in one or two generations depending on the latitude; univoltina in northern Europe flies in June and July, in the temperate zones between August and September it can have a second generation. It overwinters in the larva stage.

The caterpillar is brown in color with a light line bordered with black on the back, and a series of dark spots divided along the length, always on the back. **
The pupa is brown in color with areas, both in the abdominal bands and in the area of ​​the wings of light brown color. **

The larva is polyphagous, it feeds on Asteraceae such as Taraxacum officinalis (dandelion), Caryophyllaceae such as Stellaria and Polygonaceae as various species of Polygonum, it is also reported on Rumex, Prunus and Lactuca. ***


* 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.40