''Catarhoe cuculata'', the royal mantle, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by

Johann Siegfried Hufnagel Johann Siegfried Hufnagel (17 October 1724, Uckerfelde, Falkenwalde, Prenzlau district, Brandenburg – 23 February 1795, Langenfeld, Sternberg district) was a German parson and entomologist (lepidopterist). Life Until the late 20th century nothing ...

in 1767. It is found from Europe to western

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

and east

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. The species prefers to live in light forests and forest edges, but also occurs on meadows. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 22–27 mm. The basic or ground colour of the wings is whitish. The base of the forewing is black with a red-brown band, and at the apex are two reddish-brown stains that pass into a red-brown crossline and a dark brown and black spot (separated by a thin black crossline). The first crossline near the base of the forewing is red with a thick black border.It is characterized by the alternate bands of chestnut and blackish brown in the proximal area, the white median area and the form of the postmedian band— ab. ''circulata'' Rbl. is a remarkable and perhaps unique aberration in which the dark bands of the central area are connected on the subcostal and median veins, enclosing a roundish white patch. The larva is green or yellowish with conspicuous blackish or dark purple subdorsal stripes. The pupa is reddish, with browner wings. Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgar
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/ref> Adults are on wing from April to August in one generation. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e feed on '' Galium'' species. Larvae can be found in July to September. It overwinters as a pupa.

Subspecies

*''Catarhoe cuculata cuculata'' *''Catarhoe cuculata sabinata'' Dannehl, 1933 *''Catarhoe cuculata undulosa'' (Warnecke, 1934)

Similar species

*'' Mesoleuca albicillata'' *''

Melanthia procellata ''Melanthia procellata'', the pretty chalk carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe. The wingspan is 27–32 mm. The moth flies from May to August . The caterpillars feed on ''Clematis vitalba''. Notes #'' ...

'' *'' Catarhoe rubidata''

References

External links

Royal mantle at ''UKMoths''''Fauna Europaea''
Xanthorhoini Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel {{Xanthorhoini-stub