''Epirrhoe tristata'', the small argent and sable, 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 genus ''

Epirrhoe ''Epirrhoe'' is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1825. Species * '' Epirrhoe alternata'' (Müller, 1764) * '' Epirrhoe dubiosata'' (Alphéraky, 1883) * '' Epirrhoe fulminata'' (Alphéraky, 1883) * '' Epirrh ...

'' in the family Geometridae. The species was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.

Distribution

The species can be found in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

, in western Europe from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

in the north to just south of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, then east to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...

, and

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 ...

Description

The wingspan is 24–26 mm. The forewing ground colour is white. There is a light brown central band with white edge lines. The outer margins of all wings are black with a small faint line.

Biology

The moth flies from May to July. The larva feeds on '' Galium'' species.Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni and Luis M. Hernánde
Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
It hibernates as pupa in a cocoon on the ground. Upland habitats include moorland, limestone grassland, woodland and hedgerows. Lowland habitats include steppe, heaths and mosses.

References

External links

Small argent and sable at ''UKMoths''''Lepiforum e.V.''''De Vlinderstichting''
Epirrhoe Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Xanthorhoini-stub