Siona lineata, the black-veined moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica.Catalogue of Life
Subspecies Subspecies include:BioLib.cz Siona lineata lineata (Scopoli, 1763); Siona lineata oenotriensis (Staudinger, 1915).
Distribution This rather common species can be found throughout Europe.Fauna Europaea It is quite rare in the United Kingdom, only being found in east Kent. It is also present in the Amur and Ussuri Regions, southern Siberia, central Asia, Kazakhstan, Caucasus, Asia Minor and Russia.Peder Skou The Geometroid Moths of North Europe (Lepidoptera: Drepanidae and Geometridae)
Habitat
These moths inhabit limestone and chalk grassland, rough downland, open woodlands, pastures and grassy areas.Bob Gibbons Field Guide to Insects of Britain and Northern Europe
Description The wingspan is 35–40 mm.Black-veined moth on UKMoths Wings are white or cream coloured with dusky veins in the upperside and black or dark brown veins on the underside. The underside of the wings usually shows also a blackish transverse stripe beyond the middle, very faint in the hindwings. Fresh moths are usually cream coloured, but as they get older, the wings are becoming whiter. With the disappearance of the scales the black veins on the undersides become increasingly visible on the uppersides through the wings.
The head is small, with large and globose lateral eyes. Legs are long and slender. The males have a long slender abdomen with a curved upward end, while in the females the abdomen is stouter and not curved. The females are also smaller and with more angular wings. In the females the abdomen has three longitudinal black lines.De Vlinderstichting
Biology The moth flies during the day in one generation from the beginning of May to the end of June . The caterpillar feeds on various herbs, (Origanum majorana, Dactylis glomerata, Hypericum maculatum, Vicia species, Galium verum, Solidago virgaurea, Achillea millefolium, Tanacetum vulgare), and woody plants (Salix aurita, Viburnum opulus).Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa The species overwinters as half-grown caterpillar and then pupates in a cocoon attached to a grass blade, or a plant stem.
Gallery
Notes The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.
References
External links
Lepiforum e.V. Schmetterling-raupe Insekten Box Kimmo Silvonen Larvae of North-European Lepidoptera