''Xanthorhoe decoloraria'', the red 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 ...

. The species was first described by

Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper (2 June 1742 – 27 July 1810) was a German zoologist and naturalist. Born in Wunsiedel in Bavaria, he was professor of zoology at Erlangen university. Life and work Eugen and his brother Friedrich were intro ...

in 1806 and it is found in northern Europe, to the 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 the north of North America; further south (as from Switzerland to Austro-Hungary) it seems to occur chiefly, if not exclusively, in the mountains.

Description

The wingspan is 19 – 26 mm. The forewings are pale greyish ochreous, with brown striae. The basal patch is fuscous-reddish, its edge curved. The median band is dull reddish, dark-striated, the edges suffused with dark ochreous-brown, the anterior curved, the posterior rounded and prominent in the middle. There is a dark ochreous-brown apical streak and the termen is suffused with grey. Hindwings are pale greyish-ochreous, with grey striae, and the termen is grey. The larva is variable, dull green or brown, black-dotted with pinkish incisions and two conspicuous blotches on segments 6 and 7, the latter large. Prout gives an account of the many variations.Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgar
pdf

Biology

Adults are on wing from mid-June to August. The larvae feed on ''

Alchemilla ''Alchemilla'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Rosaceae, with the common name lady's mantle applied generically as well as specifically to ''Alchemilla mollis'' when referred to as a garden plant. The plant used as a herb ...

'' species and possibly other low plants.

Subspecies

*''Xanthorhoe decoloraria decoloraria'' *''Xanthorhoe decoloraria hethlandica'' (Shetland Isles)

Similar species

Some forms closely resemble the also variable congener ''

Xanthorhoe designata ''Xanthorhoe designata'', the flame carpet, is a moth of the genus ''Xanthorhoe'' in the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. Distribution It is found in Europe, Asiatic Russia and Japan. D ...

References

External links

Red carpet at ''UKMoths''''Lepiforum e.V.''
Xanthorhoe Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Moths of North America Taxa named by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper {{Xanthorhoini-stub