Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan ( mountain-ash) and service tree. The exact number of species is disputed depend ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

(rowans, whitebeams and allies) are used as food plants by the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of a number of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species (butterflies and moths). These include: *

Bucculatricidae Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae. Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bein ...

leaf-miners: ** ''

Bucculatrix bechsteinella ''Bucculatrix bechsteinella'' is a moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by Johann Matthäus Bechstein and Georg Ludwig Scharfenberg in 1805. It is found in most of Europe, except Greece and Bulgaria. The wingspan is 7–9 mm ...

'' ** '' Bucculatrix ulmella'' *

Coleophoridae __NOTOC__ The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are found ...

** Several ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors hav ...

'' case-bearer species: *** '' C. anatipennella'' – leaves – recorded on

European rowan ''Sorbus aucuparia'', commonly called rowan (UK: /ˈrəʊən/, US: /ˈroʊən/) and mountain-ash, is a species of deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family. It is a highly variable species, and botanists have used different definitions of the sp ...

(''S. aucuparia''), and possibly others *** '' C. cerasivorella'' – recorded on European rowan (''S. aucuparia'') *** '' C. spinella'' (apple-and-plum case-bearer) *

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 ...

** ''

Alcis repandata The mottled beauty (''Alcis repandata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Subspecies and forms Subspecies and forms include: *''Alcis repan ...

'' (mottled beauty) – recorded on

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

s ** ''

Cabera pusaria The common white wave (''Cabera pusaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout the Palearctic region .The habitat is decid ...

'' (common white wave) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Chloroclysta truncata The common marbled carpet (''Dysstroma truncata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus '' Chloroclysta''. It is very common throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. The species was first described ...

'' (common marbled carpet) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Colotois pennaria The feathered thorn (''Colotois pennaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. Etymology The common name derives from the very strong feathering on the antennae of the male. Also the species n ...

'' (feathered thorn) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Crocallis elinguaria The scalloped oak (''Crocallis elinguaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distribution This common species can be found from Europe to eas ...

'' (scalloped oak) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Ectropis crepuscularia The engrailed and small engrailed (''Ectropis crepuscularia'') are moths of the family Geometridae found from the British Isles through central and eastern Europe to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan. The western Mediterranean and Asia Minor ...

'' (engrailed) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Epirrita autumnata The autumnal moth (''Epirrita autumnata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1794. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and has a much wider distri ...

'' (autumnal moth) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Epirrita christyi The pale November moth (''Epirrita christyi'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Allen in 1906. It is a fairly common species in Western Europe including the British Isles. This species is almost identical ...

'' (pale November moth) ** ''

Erannis defoliaria The mottled umber (''Erannis defoliaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is common throughout much of the Palearctic region. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Distribution The species can be found in w ...

'' (mottled umber) ** ''

Eupithecia exiguata The mottled pug (''Eupithecia exiguata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found across the Palearctic region apart from around the Mediterranean Sea. It is common in the Brit ...

'' (mottled pug) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Geometra papilionaria The large emerald (''Geometra papilionaria'') is a moth which is the type species for the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East in and around deciduous forests, heathlands, marshland and in settlem ...

'' (large emerald) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Gymnoscelis rufifasciata The double-striped pug (''Gymnoscelis rufifasciata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a widespread and common species, being found throughout the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa. This is a variable species ...

'' (double-striped pug) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Hemithea aestivaria The common emerald (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the British Isles. It was ...

'' (common emerald) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Odontopera bidentata The scalloped hazel (''Odontopera bidentata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Distribution It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Is ...

'' (scalloped hazel) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Operophtera brumata :''In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also mean refer to a native species, ''Erannis tiliaria'' (linden looper) or '' Operophtera bruceata'' (bruce spanworm).'' The winter moth (' ...

'' (winter moth) ** ''

Opisthograptis luteolata The brimstone moth (''Opisthograptis luteolata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It should not be confused with the brimstone butterfly Gone ...

'' (brimstone moth) – recorded on rowans *

Lymantriidae The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The cat ...

** ''

Euproctis chrysorrhoea The brown-tail moth (''Euproctis chrysorrhoea'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. Descriptions of outbreaks, i.e., large population increases of several year ...

'' (brown-tail) ** '' Euproctis similis'' (yellow-tail) *

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

** ''

Acronicta leporina The miller (''Acronicta leporina'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe apart from the far south-east. The range extends from the South of Spain, Central Italy and Bulgaria to Scotland and Central Scandinavia, cros ...

'' (miller) ** ''

Acronicta psi The grey dagger (''Acronicta psi'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Distribution This species can be found from Europe and North Africa to northern Iran, central Asia, southern and central Siberia and Mongolia. In the Levant it is found in ...

'' (grey dagger) ** ''

Acronicta tridens The dark dagger (''Acronicta tridens'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is distributed throughout Europe (from southern Fennoscandia to the Balkans and Ita ...

'' (dark dagger) – recorded on rowans ** '' Amphipyra berbera'' (Svensson's copper underwing) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Amphipyra pyramidea The copper underwing, humped green fruitworm or pyramidal green fruitworm (''Amphipyra pyramidea'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distribut ...

'' (copper underwing) – recorded on

wild service tree ''Sorbus torminalis'', with common names wild service tree, chequers, and checker tree, is a species of tree in the mountain ash or rowan genus (''Sorbus'') of the rose family (Rosaceae), that is native to Europe, parts of northern Africa and we ...

(''S. torminalis'') ** ''

Cosmia trapezina The dun-bar (''Cosmia trapezina'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common Palearctic species. Distribution The species occurs throughout almost the whole of Europe. In the north, the range extends to Middle Fennoscandia, in the eas ...

'' (dun-bar) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Eupsilia transversa ''Eupsilia transversa'', the satellite, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic. This is a fairly variable species with greyish or ...

'' (satellite) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Melanchra persicariae The dot moth (''Melanchra persicariae'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is a very distinctive species with very dark brown, almost black, forewings marked with a large white stigm ...

'' (dot moth) – recorded on rowans ** ''

Orthosia gothica The Hebrew character (''Orthosia gothica'') is a moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout Europe. Both the common and binomial name ...

'' (Hebrew character) – recorded on rowans *

Nolidae Nolidae is a family of moths with about 1,700 described species worldwide. They are mostly small with dull coloration, the main distinguishing feature being a silk cocoon with a vertical exit slit. The group is sometimes known as tuft moths, aft ...

** '' Nola cucullatella'' (short-cloaked moth) *

Notodontidae Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...

** '' Ptilodon capucina'' (coxcomb prominent) – recorded on rowans *

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

** ''

Pavonia pavonia ''Saturnia pavonia'', the small emperor moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Sometimes, the incorrect genus name ''Pavonia'' is still used for this ...

'' (emperor moth)

External links

*{{cite web , last1=Robinson , first1=Gaden S. , last2=Ackery , first2=Phillip R. , last3=Kitching , first3=Ian J. , last4=Beccaloni , first4=George W. , last5=Hernández , first5=Luis M. , name-list-style=amp , date=2010 , url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?&PGenus=Sorbus&sort=Family , title=Hostplant Genus: ''Sorbus'' , website=HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants , publisher=

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

+Lepidoptera