Autumnal moth

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The autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1794. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and has a much wider distribution than its two close relatives (see below). In Sápmi (Lapland), in some years, the numerous autumnal moth larvae defoliate square miles of birch forests on mountains.[1]

Autumnal moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Epirrita
Species:
E. autumnata
Binomial name
Epirrita autumnata
(Borkhausen, 1794)

Description

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This species is very similar to the November moth, the small Autumnal moth, and the pale November moth, and identification is usually only possible by examining the genitalia.[2] In general, this is the least variable of the four, with melanic forms occurring less often. It is also usually on the wing earlier in the year, flying in September and October,[1] although the flight seasons of all three species overlap.

The caterpillar feeds on a wide variety of trees and shrubs.[3][4] The species overwinters as an egg.

Subspecies

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  • E. a. altivagata
  • E. a. autumnata

Notes

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  • ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References

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  1. ^ Haukioja, Erkki; Hanhimäki, Sinikka (1985). "Rapid wound-induced resistance in white birch (Betula pubescens) foliage to the geometrid Epirrita autumnata: a comparison of trees and moths within and outside the outbreak range of the moth". Oecologia. 65 (2): 223–232. doi:10.1007/BF00379221.
  2. ^ Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species. Butterfly Conservation.
  3. ^ Sadik Tuzun and Elizabeth Bent, 2006
  4. ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2008). "Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii". globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Strõmberg Archived 2009-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
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