Orthonama vittata

Sumpflabkraut - blade tensioner ( Orthonama vittata )

The Sumpflabkraut - blade tensioner ( Orthonama vittata ), also called Bitter Clover Leaf tensioner, is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of the tensioner ( Geometridae ).

• 5.1 Notes and references
• 5.2 Literature

Features

Butterfly

The wingspan of the butterfly is 22 to 26 millimeters. The forewings have a light brownish color. On them run more nearly parallel to the hem brown transverse lines. In midfield, a narrow dark fabric tape is often seen. In the Apex opens a black graduation mark. Direct hem runs a line formed of small black dots. The hind wings are slightly lighter in color and with several weakly developed dark horizontal lines. All wings show a little black Diskalfleck.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The egg is yellowish, flat and finely punctured.

Adults caterpillars are light green or brownish and have indistinct, narrow back and side back lines. The wide side lines are bright red to whitish.

The pupa is brown in color, showing greenish leaf sheaths and has a very pointy cremaster.

Similar Species

The Sumpflabkraut - blade tensioner similar to the multiline blade tensioner ( Costaconvexa polygrammata ), in which, however, the black, the apex dividing line is replaced by a whitish wiping. In addition, the running hem black line is continuous or is made up of strokes.

Geographical distribution and occurrence

The species is patchy spread from the Arctic Circle through Europe to Siberia. It also occurs in Turkey and Kazakhstan. The Sumpflabkraut - blade tensioner preferably colonized wet meadows, wet woodlands and riparian and marsh areas.

Way of life

The nocturnal moths fly in two generations from May to early July and from late July to September. Visit artificial light sources. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various Labkrautarten ( Galium ), particularly marsh bedstraw ( Galium palustre ) and of bitter clover ( Menyanthes trifoliata ). The species overwinters as a caterpillar.

Endangering

The Sumpflabkraut - blade tensioner comes in the German states in different numbers before, applies area, as endangered, but out on the Red List as not at risk. By draining of existing habitats, however, a decline of the species is not ruled out for the future.

Swell