Idaea mediaria
Idaea mediaria
Idaea mediaria is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the tensioner ( Geometridae ).
Features
The moths have a wingspan of 14-19 mm. The front wings are relatively narrow. The base color is beige to light gray, the drawing is dusted dark gray to dark brown, often dark. The inner transverse line is virtually absent or only indicated, this may be the binding agent may be relatively wide and is always very clearly developed. It is approximately straight, extends obliquely to the outer transverse line and approaches the outer transverse line towards the costal margin. Outer lateral line, wavy line and hem line are very close together. All three lines are jagged slightly wavy to slightly. Diskalflecken are usually present, but not very pronounced. On the front wings they are well rooted upward moved away from the center binding, on the hind wing they are close to the center binding, but on the wurzelwärtigen side of the napkin. They are small, black Saumflecken available. The forehead is dark brown, the apex whitish and brown collar. The palps are relatively small and black in color.
Occurrence and habitat
The species has a relatively limited area of distribution. It extends from southern Portugal, along the coast to the southern tip of Spain, along a 200 km wide strip on the east coast to the south of France. It also occurs in the Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia and in Tuscany. Some very small and completely isolated occurrence is also available in north-west Spain, Morocco and Algeria. The latter two occurrences are a separate subspecies idaea mediaria flavidior Rothschild, 1914 attributed.
The species is extremely xerothermophil, that is, she prefers dry and hot habitats. It comes in open biotopes, often near the coast and rises to about 1300 m, very rarely up to 1900 m above sea level on.
Phenology and life
Idaea mediaria is univoltine, that is, it is formed only one generation per year, which rarely flies from early June to end of July to mid-August. The moths are attracted by artificial light sources.
The caterpillars are extremely slow growing. They are polyphagous and feed on withered plant material of various herbaceous plants. So far as caterpillar food plants were detected: Gorse ( Ulex europaeus), Euphorbia spinosa and Dorycnium ( Leguminosae ). The breed also succeeded with Vogelknöterichen ( Polygonum ) and the ordinary dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).
System
The species was described in 1819 by Jacob Hübner under the name Geometra mediaria first time scientifically. Currently, two subspecies are distinguished, which nominotypical subspecies idaea mediaria mediaria ( Hübner, 1819) and idaea mediaria flavidior ( Rothschild, 1914).