Spruce Carpet
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Sägezahnfühler softwood tensioner ( Thera britannica )
The Sägezahnfühler softwood tensioner or tensioner British fir ( Thera britannica ) is a butterfly of the family of the tensioner ( Geometridae ).
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 24-27 mm in males and 27-31 mm in females. They are colored very variable. Most commonly dark brown forms occur with wide white bound edge midfield, rarely are forms which are bein white and often have a gray tint over. The Central and Basalfelder are dark gray and pinched the hem down. On the trailing edge there are three oval, reddish brown solid areas. At the posterior margin narrows the broad to the lower transverse branch midfield. A white wave band cuts through the dark Saumfeld. The gray hind wings have a curved center line. The underside is almost white, with generally darker copies and the underside is darker.
The rather narrow caterpillar resembles a pine needle and is colored green. Genus Typical small pointed projections occur in the anal area. The boundaries of the dark green Dorsallinie of fine white lines. The thorax and anal significantly widened lateral line is colored lemon yellow. The legs are green, rare they are easily drowned out red. The 0.7 mm long and 0.4 mm wide eggs are initially greenish white and later dyed bright yellow. The doll has the same color as the Caterpillar.
Similar Species
The species can hardly be distinguished from Thera variata ( Denis & Schiffer Müller, 1775) based on the drawing. The males can be easily distinguished by the sensor. These have at Thera britannica sawtooth antennal segments, which can be easily seen from the side with a magnifying glass. From above or below this sawtooth antennal segments, however, are not apparent. In females, a reliable separation between Thera britannica and Thera variata itself through genital examination may not be possible. The males of Thera obeliscata can be easily distinguished by the sensor of Thera britannica as well, the females only by genital examination.
Dissemination
The Sägezahnfühler softwood tensioner is distributed from the British Isles and France over central Europe to the north of the Carpathians. To the north are the way to southern Scandinavia. In the south, there are isolated occurrences in the Pyrenees, Corsica, on the Apennine peninsula, in the Carpathians and in the mountains of Greece ( including Peloponnese ) and Bulgaria. In the northern regions of the Alps, the species is more common than in the southern areas. Outside of Europe, there is confirmed evidence from the north- west and north- east of Turkey, from the Trans- Caucasus and the Caucasus. In these documents but it can also be a previously unknown species or subspecies.
Way of life
The nocturnal moths fly in two generations from late April to early June and from early August to late October. The caterpillars overwinter the first generation and can be found by the end of March, from mid-August until the autumn and spring, the caterpillars of the second generation are found from late May to late June. These caterpillars grow within four weeks approach, the first generation, however, eat less and overwinter as small caterpillars. As a forage plant used fir (Abies ) and spruce (Picea ), which is why the kind usually found only in pine and spruce forests, partly they are also found in urban areas. There she flies at dusk and at night and also likes to come to light and bait. During the day, sit the butterflies between branches. Usually, they are not easily startled himself, only at warmer temperatures can be especially males startle easily. For the moth diverse small- plants also serve emerging tree sap as food. Most often they are in the spring and agrimony ( Eupatorium ) found on coltsfoot ( Tussilago farfara ) and butterbur ( Petasites ) in late summer.
System
The species was first time in 1920 by Höfer under the invalid name Thera variata from. albonigrata described. Gornik presented in 1942 found that this is a different kind of theory variata, which was called Thera albonigrata Gornik, 1942. It was later discovered that the subspecies Thera britannica variata Turner, 1925 is identical to albonigrata. The valid name of the species is therefore Thera britannica.