The common emerald (Hemithea aestivaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of Ireland and Britain. It was accidentally introduced into southern British Columbia in 1973.
Description All wings are generally soft grey-green with grey and white chequered fringes and narrow white fascia, two on the forewing, one on the hindwing. The green colouration tends not to fade over time as much as in other emeralds. The hindwings have a sharply angled termen giving the moth a very distinctive shape. The wingspan is 30–35 mm.Axel Hausmann, 2021 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe. 1. Auflage. Volume 1: (Introduction to the series. Archiearinae, Oenochrominae, Geometrinae) . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2021 ISBN 978-90-04-32254-7
Biology It flies at dusk and night in June and JulyPowell, J. A. and P.A. Opler. (2009). Moths of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press and will come to light.
The larva is green with reddish-brown markings and black v-shaped marks along the back. The young larva will feed on most plants but later it feeds on trees and shrubs. The species overwinters as a larva.
The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.
Recorded food plants Aralia Artemisia Betula – birch Camellia Carpinus – hornbeam Castanea – chestnut Citrus Corylus – hazel Crataegus - hawthorn Diervilla – bush honeysuckle Hypericum – St John's wort Juglans – walnut Larix – larch Ligustrum – privet Malus – apple Morus – mulberry Photinia Prunus Quercus – oak Rhamnus – buckthorn Ribes – currant Rosa – rose Rubus Salix – willow Sorbus – rowan Tilia – lime Vaccinium Viburnum
Gallery
Synonymy Phalaena aestivaria Hübner, 1789 Phalaena strigata Müller, Phalaena vernaria Esper, 1795 Nemoria alboundulata Hedemann, 1879 krajniki Komarek, 1950
References
Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991) Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
External links
Lepiforum Common emerald UKMoths
"07980 Hemithea aestivaria (Hübner, 1789) - Gebüsch-Grünspanner". Lepiforum e.V. Retrieved November 30, 2018.