Stegania trimaculata

(De Villers, 1789)

  • Subfamily: Ennominae, Cassymini
  • Wingspan: 26-28 mm
  • Flight period: May - Sep
  • Spread: Common
  • Host plants: Populus

Information

The Stegania trimaculata is a moth of the Geometridae family, subfamily Ennominae, with a wingspan of 26-28 mm.
It is distributed in Central Western Europe, in particular Portugal, Spain, France, Benelux, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Russia. *
In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The base color of the wings varies from sand to dark brown, has two darker longitudinal lines in the discal and postdiscal regions, the first affects only the front wing, the second also crosses the rear wing, giving the impression, when the butterfly is at rest, of a single continuous line.
These lines swell near the costa, creating two spots. A third spot similar to the previous ones is visible near the apex of the wing. In some forms the basal region and the area near the inner corner are brown in color.
The head, thorax and abdomen are in the background color of the wings. **

It is very similar to Lomographa bimaculata but is smaller in size, with a lighter background color and more pronounced angles in the postmedian band. bivoltine adults fly in two generations, the first in April and May, and the second generation from July to September. It overwinters at the pupa stage in the leaf litter of the trees. It can often be found in poplar groves, but it is also recorded in mixed woods.

The eggs are whitish, knurled. **
The caterpillars are greenish in color, with a brown / purplish dorasal band. Other form sees a brownish caterpillar with a yellowish spot on each segment. The pupa is brown. **
Habitats are varied from woodlands and forests to poplar gardens, parks, banks of rivers and streams.ms.

The larva feeds on various species of Populus (poplar) including Populus alba and Populus nigra.


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

Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata
Stegania trimaculata