''Thera obeliscata'', the grey pine carpet, 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 ...

. It is found throughout north and central Europe and east across the

Palearctic 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 ...

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 ...

, and south 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 ...

and

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 ...

. In the Alps it can be found at an altitude of over 1500 metres.

Description

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 28–36 mm. Forewing reddish brown or fulvous, the distal edge of the median band not strongly indented, or with only one deep indentation (on the fold); pale subterminal line commonly obsolete, or if present, not strongly dentate. Hindwing rather more glossy and brownish than that of '' Thera variata'' , the discal dot generally altogether obsolete on the upperside, though expressed beneath. — ab. ''tristrigaria'' Donov. is an infrequent aberration with three unusually well developed, elongate interneural submarginal streaks between the 5th subcostal and 3rd radial veins. The aberration, ab. ''mediolucens'' Rossi, is a rather striking form in which the ground-colour is appreciably darkened while the median band remains fulvous, thus appearing lighter, or at least brighter, than the adjoining areas. — ab. ''obliterata'' B. White is almost unicolorous brown-black or black-brown in Britain and occasionally in the mountains of Central Italy. It is difficult to certainly distinguish ''Thera obeliscata'' from '' Thera britannica'' See Townsend et al.Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010)
''British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species''
(covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation. The egg has an elongated shape and is yellowish to greenish coloured. The surface is divided by grooves into irregular fields filled with small warts. Adult caterpillars are coloured green. They show white-yellow dorsolateral lines and lateral stripes. At the rear end there are two small tips. The greenish or brownish pupa is covered with whitish or yellowish longitudinal lines. The tip has a reddish-brown colour.

Similar species

Due to the great colour variability and the similar pattern elements '' Thera variata'', '' Thera britannica'', '' Thera cognata'', '' Thera juniperata'', '' Pennithera firmata'' as well as '' Thera cembrae'' and '' Pennithera ulicata'' are sometimes difficult to distinguish from some forms of ''Thera obeliscata''. In case of doubt, specialists should be consulted for determination.

Biology

The larva primarily feeds on ''

Pinus sylvestris ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orang ...

'' and Norway spruce ''

Picea abies ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, ...

''. The species prefers settled pine forests.

References

External links

Grey pine carpet at UKmoths

Fauna Europaea

Lepiforum.de

Vlindernet.nl
Cidariini Moths described in 1787 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Cidariini-stub