''Orthonama vittata'', the oblique carpet, is a
moth of the family
Geometridae. The species was
first described by
Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen
Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen (3 December 1760, Giessen – 30 November 1806, Darmstadt) was a German naturalist and forester. He took part in the production of ' by Johann Conrad Susemihl.
He received his education in Giessen, and in 1796 starte ...
in 1794. It is found throughout the
Palearctic realm.
Distribution
It is found from the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
across Europe and
Central Asia to
Siberia. It also occurs in
Turkey and
Kazakhstan.
Description
The
wingspan is 23–26 mm. The length of the forewings is 11–14 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is light brownish white. There are several crosslines almost parallel to the hind margin. In the midfield, a narrow dark band is present. A black distal dividing line joins the apex. At the margin is a line composed of small black dots. The hindwings are paler and provided with several poorly developed dark lines. All wings show a small black discal fleck.
[Prout, L. B. 1912–16. Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.]
Biology
The moth flies from the beginning of May to mid-September.
The caterpillars feed on various species of
bedstraw
''Galium'' is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some species are informally known as bedstraw.
There are over 600 spe ...
.
Habitat: prefers moist meadows, forest clearings and coastal wetlands.
Notes
#''The flight season refers to
Belgium and the
Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range.''
References
External links
*
''Lepiforum e.V.''
Xanthorhoini
Moths of Europe
Taxa named by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen
{{Xanthorhoini-stub