Isturgia arenacearia

([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

  • Subfamily: Ennominae, Macariini
  • Wingspan: 21-27 mm
  • Flight period: Mag - Ago
  • Spread: Common
  • Host plants: Fabaceae

Information

The Isturgia arenacearia also called Sand Bordered Bloom is a moth of the Geometridae family, subfamily Ennominae, with a wingspan of 21-27 mm.
In Europe we find it in France, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. In Italy it is absent from Sicily. *


The front wings of Isturgia arenacearia have a light hazelnut base color. The anterior wing presents, in the submarginal region, a darker line, generally brown / black, surrounded by dark hazelnut towards the outside, while, towards the inside of the wing, it is cream or washed-out yellow. Another barely mentioned line is present in the disc region and often intersects the small dark spot present in the median area of ​​the wing.
A series of dark brown dots is present along the marginal area. The rear wing is cream colored, with small dark spots evenly distributed; the wing is also crossed in the post-discal region by a brown line with characteristics similar to the line of the front wing, but more tenuous.

All four wings are fringed, the underside of the wings predominantly gray or light brown. The thorax is the same color as the wings, while the abdomen and head are ocher yellow. **

These moths fly in two distinct generations (bivoltine), from April to mid-September. The only evident trait of sexual dimorphism is represented by the antennae which in the male are comb-like, an aspect not present in the females, which have filiform antennae. It can easily be found in alfalfa and meadow areas, patches of sunny bush

The caterpillar is light green in color with light dorsal lines that run along it lengthwise, more evident a lateral yellowish white line bordered at the top in dark green. The head is green in color with two vertical reddish brown bands on each cephalic capsule. **

The pupa is reddish brown, the Cremaster is filiform and elongated with the terminal part divided in two.

The larvae feed on Fabaceae in particular Coronilla varia


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/

Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia
Isturgia arenacearia