Mottled beauty

Mottled beauty
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Subfamily:	Ennominae
Tribe:	Boarmiini
Genus:	Alcis
Species:	A. repandata
Binomial name
Alcis repandata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Phalaena repandata Linnaeus, 1758 Alcis repandatus Boarmia repandata

The mottled beauty (Alcis repandata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Subspecies and forms

Subspecies and forms include:

• Alcis repandata muraria
• Alcis repandata repandata
• Alcis repandata sodorensium
• Alcis repandata f. conversaria
• Alcis repandata f. nigricata

Distribution

Alcis repandata is a common species of Europe and the Near East, extending throughout Europe to the Urals, in the south over the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, the Caucasus to Kazakhstan and in the north to the Arctic Circle.

Habitat

The species inhabits deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests, bushy heaths, meadows, marshes and settlement areas. In the Alps occurs up to 1800 meters.

Description

Adult moth

Alcis repandata has a wingspan reaching 30–45 mm. This is an extremely variable species, typically being buff or grey with black bars along the costa, but often with a broad blackish band across the forewings. Meyrick describes it - The head is grey mixed with whitish and fuscous. The forewings are light ochreous-brown, sprinkled with black and sometimes with whitish. The first line is curved, the median line is twice sinuate and dark fuscous, sometimes partly confluent. The second line is dark fuscous, roundly projecting above and below the middle. The subterminal is waved and pale or whitish, partially dark-margined. There is a blackish discal spot before the median. The hindwings are as the forewings, but the lines are less marked and regular. There is a discal dot beyond median. Melanic forms are also common, especially in industrial areas. In all but the darkest variations the most characteristic feature is a pale zigzag line across the hindwing. The larva is pale greenish-ochreous, brown-marked, sometimes suffused with dark grey, dusted with yellow. The dorsal line is brown or dark grey, distinct on segments 2–4, often obsolete elsewhere. Segments 5-12 sometimes have pale dorsal diamonds. See also Prout (1912–16)

This species is rather similar to Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria) and its congeners. See Townsend et al.

Biology

This moth flies at night in June and July in the British Isles. It is attracted to light.

The larva feeds on the leaves and soft bark of a wide range of trees and other plants (see list below).

The species overwinters as a small larva.

Recorded food plants

Host plants include:

• Alnus – alder
• Betula – birch
• Calluna – heather
• Crataegus – hawthorn
• Cytisus – broom
• Filipendula – meadowsweet
• Ligustrum – privet
• Lonicera – honeysuckle
• Quercus – oak
• Rhododendron
• Ribes – currant
• Rubus – bramble
• Rumex – dock
• Salix – willow
• Sorbus – rowan
• Tilia – lime
• Vaccinium

Gallery

• 
  Caterpillar
• 
  Chrysalis
• 
  Imago
• 
  Mounted specimen
• 
  Male Alcis repandata f. conversaria

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

• Alcis repandata - Biodiversity Heritage Library - Bibliography
• Lepiforum e.V.
• Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa