''Hypomecis punctinalis'', the pale oak beauty, 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 geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''met ...

. The species was first described by

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinisation of names, Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and natural history, naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational ...

in his 1763 ''

Entomologia Carniolica ' is a taxonomic work by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, published in Vienna in 1763. As well as describing hundreds of new species, ' contained observations on the species' biology, including the first published account of queen bees mating outside th ...

''. The species can be found in central and southern Europe,

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

, Russia, 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 ...

, Japan, Korea,

Ussuri The Ussuri or Wusuli (russian: Уссури; ) is a river that runs through Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, Russia and the southeast region of Northeast China. It rises in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, flowing north and forming part of the Si ...

and western China. 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 46–55 mm. The length of the forewings is 22–26 mm. The forewings have a grey-white ground colour with a brownish tinge and are fine blackish dusted. The outer margin of the forewing has a convexity. The forewings have conspicuous transverse lines and a clear discal mark. The discal mark is pale centred and dark ringed. The forewings of the male have a fovea. The hindwings are similarly marked. The hindwing median and second lines are conspicuously dark and wavy. The moths fly in one generation from the end of April to July. The larvae feed on various trees including

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

. Similar species: *''

Hypomecis roboraria ''Hypomecis roboraria'', the great oak beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species occurs in the Palearctic. The nominate subspecies is found in Europe. The subspecies ''isabellaria'' is found in western Central Asia east across Siber ...

'' (''H.roboraria'' has a pale spot on a dark background at the apex forewing underside which is not present in ''H. punctinalis'' *''

Hypomecis ''Hypomecis'' is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1821. Description Palpi oblique, reaching beyond the frons and fringed with hair below. Forewings with slightly crenulate (scalloped) cilia. Vein 3 ...

'' species

Notes

#''The flight season refers to the

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

External links

Pale oak beauty on ''UKMoths''''Lepiforum e.V.''''Vlindernet.nl''
Boarmiini Moths described in 1763 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli {{Boarmiini-stub