Idaea muricata
Purple Stripe Dwarf tensioner ( idaea muricata )
The purple stripe dwarf tensioner ( idaea muricata ), also Purpurstreifiger heathland small tensioner, tensioner Purpurstreifiger moorland, purple worm clamps or Purpurstreifiger is called small clamps a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the tensioner ( Geometridae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 14-19 millimeters. The wings are purple in color. The middle of the forewing has two yellow spots, a third patch sits at the wing base. The drawing is somewhat variable. The two midfield spots can be enlarged and merged ( f lutescens ), or almost absent ( f totarubra ). The inner cross- line is generally indicated by a slight color difference. The outer line is blue-violet colored, slightly wavy and very distinctive. Saumwärts the outer transverse line closes a narrow, jagged saumwärts zone in the base color. Saumfeld and fringes are colored yellow. On the hind wings there is a larger yellow Diskalfleck, the midfield is finely mottled yellow.
The oval eggs are relatively large and maroon. The relatively slender caterpillar is slightly wrinkled and tapers to the front. The color is variable; it ranges from brown to gray to reddish. The topline is trimmed dark, on each segment sits a diamond-shaped spot. The doll is 7.5 to 8.5 mm in length, and measures 2.3 to 2.6 mm in diameter. It is ocher-brown, with the veins of the wings are darker, as the seams of the head and thorax. The cremaster is relatively large, a little longer than the basal width. It is trapezoidal, and rounded at the rear end. The three hook-shaped pairs of bristles are relatively short.
Geographical distribution
The distribution of the species is predominantly Western, Central and Eastern European. It occurs to the south of the British Isles, southern Scandinavia and southern Finland in the north. In the south of the area of distribution extends to the Spanish West Pyrenees, Corsica, Northern Italy ( with scattered occurrences to the south of Italy ), on the Balkan Peninsula to Bulgaria and Albania as well as up into the foothills of the Caucasus. In the east, the way the subspecies idaea muricata proutiana ( Bryk, 1942) ) as well as Korea and China ( subspecies occurs beyond the Urals to the Kuril Islands ( Kunashir ) and Japan (northeast tip of Hokkaido ( here (Sichuan ) Here I. muricata minor ( Sterneck, 1927) ) before.
Habitat
The species occurs mainly on warm surfaces in humid forests and wetlands. But even in dry warm areas, such as in dry meadows and scrub with sandy soils the species is observed. The normal vertical distribution extends 0-700 meters, in the Southern Alps and up to 1,500 meters. The purple stripe dwarf tensioner is relatively rare and usually only locally common.
Way of life
It makes one generation per year, flying the moth from June to August. In Southern Europe, the moths fly to mid-September with a break in July. This could indicate an incomplete second generation. The moths are mainly crepuscular, but may also during the day and early in the morning are found flying. Resting Butterfly can be easily startled. They come occasionally to artificial light sources. Butterfly sucking nectar; this has been observed among other things, whistling grass ( Molinia ). Eggs are laid in rows stuck to each other on the food plants of the caterpillars.
They are polyphagous and feed on, among others, Marsh Cinquefoil ( Potentilla palustris), marsh bedstraw ( Galium palustre ), Vogelknöterichen, ( Polygonum ), plantains ( Plantago ), spurge ( Euphorbia ), Anemone (Anemone ), Small burnet saxifrage (Pimpinella Saxifraga ), heather ( Calluna vulgaris ) and a number of other vegetable material ( for example, fescue ( Festuca ). breeding succeeded with wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa), raspberry (Rubus idaeus ), blackberry ( Rubus fruticosus agg. ), Creeping cinquefoil ( Potentilla reptans ), plantain ( Plantago lanceolata), plantain ( Plantago major ), garden salad ( Lactuca sativa), the ordinary dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and smartweed ( Polygonum aviculare ). they eat only dry or withered leaves. The caterpillar overwinters. grow caterpillars very slowly. caterpillars that had hatched in the summer, went into hibernation in October and began again in May with the food. early June they pupate and were the beginning of July the moths. The pupal period is about three weeks. However, these observations come from farms under field conditions
System
The species was described in 1767 by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel as Phalaena muricata first time. Was followed by yet another five descriptions and names. Currently, the species is subdivided into three subspecies: the nominotypical subspecies idaea muricata muricata ( Hufnagel, 1767 idaea muricata minor Sterneck, 1927 (China) and idaea muricata proutiana Bryk, 1942 ( Kuril Islands).
Endangering
The species is generally not at risk in Germany. However, it applies Hamburg, where the species has always been rare, as threatened with extinction. In Lower Saxony and North Rhine -Westphalia Will it in category 3 ( "endangered" ) classified, in Rhineland -Palatinate in category 4, ie that the type with increasing habitat destruction is potentially at risk and thus is on the pre-warning.