Scalloped Oak

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Scalloped Oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Crocallis
Species: C. elinguaria
Binomial name
Crocallis elinguaria
Linnaeus, 1758

The Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common European species.

This is a distinctive species, usually with yellow forewings with a broad orange-brown band and a pointed apex. There can be considerable variation, with the central band sometimes the same colour as the rest of the forewing, ranging from pale yellow to orange-brown. Melanic forms are also known. There is always a blackish discal spot on the forewing. The hindwings are plain whitish. The wingspan is 40-46 mm. The adults fly at night in July and August [1] and are attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers.

The larva, grey and twig-like, feeds on various trees and shrubs (see list below) and is omnivorous and cannibalistic feeding also on smaller larvae. The species overwinters as an egg.

  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

[edit] Recorded food plants

[edit] References

  • Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
  • Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984