''Idaea moniliata'', common name chequered wave, 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.

Description

''Idaea moniliata'' has a

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 ...

of about . The background color of the wings is whitish with light brown thin lines, a row of relatively large round white spots (hence the Latin name ''moniliata'', meaning ''with collar or necklace'') and tiny, dark dots on the edge. This univoltine species fly from late May to early August. The larva feeds on withered leaves of various low-growing herbaceous plants, especially Vetch ('' Vicia'' species), Hawkbit (''

Leontodon ''Leontodon'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, commonly known as hawkbits. Their English name derives from the mediaeval belief that hawks ate the plant to improve their eyesight. Although originally on ...

'' species) and Forget-me-not ('' Myosotis'' species).

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

. It mainly lives on limestone background and dry meadows.

References

* Axel Hausmann: ''The Geometrid moths of Europe, 2. Sterrhinae.'' In A. Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe 2.'' Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2004.

External links

Fauna europaea
* ttp://www.lotmoths.com/species/species.php?frmSpeciesID=870 Lotmothsbr>Lepiforum.de
Sterrhini Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Moths described in 1775 Taxa named by Michael Denis Taxa named by Ignaz Schiffermüller {{Sterrhinae-stub