''Chesias rufata'', the broom-tip, is a
moth of the family
Geometridae. It was described by
Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It has a wide range in central and western Europe, including
Great Britain and
Ireland. It is also found from
Morocco to
Asia Minor.The species prefers heaths, bushy slopes and rocky valleys which favour its foodplants.It is found up to 1,500m in the
Alps.
The
wingspan is . The approximately oval-shaped wings are typical. The basal area of the forewing is silver. There is a very distinct reddish-brown cross band. Some specimens show a grey basal area and very wide reddish-brown areas on either side of the midfield. Others show a black mark on the upper part of the second cross line of the forewings following the mark is a reddish or ochreous flush, extending to the tips of the wings. A dark dividing line is located at the apex. A wavy whitish stands near the margin. The hindwings are unpatterned ochre grey in colour. Prout
[Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgar]
pdf
/ref>describes the most frequent varieties.
The egg is rather small, oval, slightly broadened and deepened at the micropylar end; the surface faintly pitted. The colour is delicate
orange, approaching salmon-colour. The larva is closely similar to that of '' legatella'' but the subdorsal line is edged with
darker green and the spiracles are black.
The larvae feed on '' Cytisus scoparius'', ''Genista tinctoria
''Genista tinctoria'', the dyer's greenweed or dyer's broom, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Its other common names include dyer's whin, waxen woad and waxen wood. The Latin specific epithet ''tinctoria'' means "used as a ...
'' and ''Genista germanica
''Genista germanica'', the German greenweed, is a plant species in the genus '' Genista'' belonging to the family Fabaceae.
Distribution and habitat
This species grows in Central Europe, Western Europe and Southern Europe
Southern Europe is ...
''. The larvae feed at night and are then rather conspicuous, as they have a habit of stretching out from the plant at full length. They may be found from June to September. Adults are on wing from April to May. Normally, there is one generation per year. However, a second generation may occur with adults on wing from June to August and the moth is very erratic in its time of emerging which — at least in some seasons and in some localities. Adults have been recorded feeding on nectar from the flowers of '' Salix'' and '' Berberis'' species.
Subspecies
* ''Chesias rufata rufata''
* ''Chesias rufata cinereata'' Staudinger, 1901
* ''Chesias rufata obliquaria'' Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775
* ''Chesias rufata occidentalis'' Delahaye, 1900
* ''Chesias rufata ornata'' Heydemann, 1933
* ''Chesias rufata plumbeata'' Staudinger, 1901 (Morocco)
* ''Chesias rufata pinkeri'' Schawerda, 1939
* ''Chesias rufata scotica'' Richardson, 1952
Etymology
The scientific name of the species derives from the Latin ''rufus'' meaning "red".
References
External links
"70.196 BF1865 Broom-tip ''Chesias rufata'' (Fabricius, 1775)"
''UKMoths''. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
Lepiforum.de
rufata
Moths described in 1775
Moths of Europe
Moths of Asia
Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius
{{Larentiinae-stub