| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae |
Anisopteryx.
Adults. Crepuscular and nocturnal; slender-bodied; with fully developed wings, or flightless. The flightless females with rudimentary wings. Antennae of males bipectinate; apically simple. Face smooth, or rough (haired). Tongue fully developed, or absent (?).
Wingspan 31–44 mm. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved to more or less straight. Forewings whitish with fuscous variants (A. leucophaearia), orange-yellow (A. aurantiaria) or light to dark brown (A. marginaria); without a transparent discal scar; with a clear discal mark (this dark), or without a clear discal mark; with a distinct median band (A. leucophaearia often with a clearly defined light band), or without a median band. Forewings of the male without a fovea. Hindwings conspicuously patterned to plain (depending on conspicuousness of the outer transverse line); whitish, pale yellowish or light to darkish brown, paler than the forewings; not predominantly green, yellow, or black; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (the outer line more or less conspicuous, and often with a submarginal row of dark dots), or without transverse lines (these very faint or detectable only near the hind margin in A. leucophaearia).
Hindwings lacking a tubular vein 5. Vein 8 of the hindwings approximated to or anastomosed with the upper margin of the cell to the middle or beyond. Hindwing veins 6 and 7 separate.
Thorax crested. Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred.
Early stages. Larvae feeding on foliage of diverse deciduous trees.
British representation. 3 species; South-east England, Central-southern England, South-west England, English Midlands, Northern England, Southern Scotland, Northern Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Living adults found February and March (A. leucophaearia, A. marginaria), or October and November (A. aurantiaria). A. leucophaearia (Spring Usher); A. aurantiaria (Scarce Umber); A. marginaria(Dotted Border).
Subfamily. Ennominae.
Illustrations. • Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher), A. marginaria (Dotted Border), A. aurantiaria (Scarce Umber): male variants (photos). Specimens of all three species were commonly found resting on tree trunks by day, in mixed deciduous woodland around Leek, N. Staffs, from 1948–1958. Localities ostensibly "rural", but about 10 and 30 miles miles from the heavily industrial regions of Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester, respectively.
Figs. 1–6, Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher): exemplifying male colour variants of this common, polymorphic species, of which the lighter forms were numerically predominant. Figs. 7–9, A. aurantiaria (Scarce Umber): 2 typical males and (9) a female. By contrast with the other two representatives of this genus (and with Erannis defoliaria, q.v.), the Scarce Umber is not noticeably polymorphic, and melanism is either absent or very rare. Figs. 10–16, A. marginaria (Dotted Border): 3 light (“normal”) males, 3 melanics, and an apparently melanic female. Light and melanic forms were equally common, without obvious intermediates. Fig. 14 is a 1911specimen from Ilfracombe (Devon, R.A. Nicholls), for comparison with Figs. 11 & 12.
From Watson’s collection. • Agriopis, Alsophila, Apocheima, Erannis, Lycia, Phigalia: Newman. 1a-b, Apocheima hispidaria (Small Brindled Beauty, male and apterous female); 2a-b, Phigalia pilosaria (Pale Brindled Beauty, male and apterous female); 3a-b, Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty, male and vestigially-winged female); 4, Lycia hirtaria (Brindled Beauty); 5a-c, Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher, males and vestigially-winged female); 6a-b, Agriopis marginaria (Dotted Border, male and vestigially-winged female); 7a-b, Agriopis aurantiaria, male and vestigially-winged female); 8a-c, Erannis defoliaria (Mottled Umber, males and apterous female); 9a-b, Alsophila aescularia (March Moth, male and apterous female). From Newman, 1869. • Oenochrominae and Ennominae: Kirby 47. OENOCHROMINAE. 17, Alsophila aescularia (March Moth). ENNOMINAE. 1, Epione vespertaria (Dark Bordered Beauty); 2, Epione repandaria (Bordered Beauty); 3, Cepphis advenaria (Little Thorn); 4, "Hypoplectis adspersaria", = ?; 5, Pseudopanthera macularia (Speckled Yellow); 6, Eilicrinia cordiaria; 7, Semiothisa alternaria (Sharp-angled Peacock); 8, Semiothisa signaria ; 9, Semiothisa liturata (Tawny Barred Angle); 10, cf. Epirrhanthis diversata; 11, Theria primaria (Early Moth); 12, Agriopis bajaria; 13, Agriopis leucophaearia (Spring Usher); 14, Agriopis aurantiaria (Scarce Umber); 15, Agriopis marginaria (Dotted Border); 16, Erannis defoliaria (Mottled Umber); 18, Phigalia pilosaria (Pale Brindled Beauty); 19, Apocheima hispidaria (Small Brindled Beauty); 20, Lycia pomonaria; 21, Lycia zonaria (Belted Beauty); 22, Lycia hirtaria (Brindled Beauty); 23, Biston strataria (Oak Beauty); 24, Biston betularia (Peppered Moth); 25, Menophra abruptaria (Waved Umber); 26, "Nychiodes lividaria", cf. Eunychiodes amygdalaria?. From Kirby 47, with updated names.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 14th February 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
