Eulithis testata

Chevron
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Tribe: Cidariini
Genus: Eulithis
Species: E. testata
Binomial name
Eulithis testata
(Linnaeus, 1761)
Synonyms
  • Eulithis colorata (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Eulithis achatinata (Hübner, 1796-99)
  • Eulithis achantinaria (Boisduval, 1840)
  • Eulithis insulicola Staudinger, 1901

The Chevron (Eulithis testata) is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in both the Palearctic and the Nearctic ecozones. In Eurasia it ranges from Great Britain and Scandinavia, south to the Alps, east through Russia and the Russian Far East to Japan. In North America, it is found from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island and Alaska, south in the east to about New Jersey and in the west to Colorado.

The scientific name testata is derived from the Latin testa (baked stone) and refers to the base colour of the wing.

Description

The wingspan is 25–35 mm.. The forewings show a variety of ground colors ranging from pale yellow through orange yellow, reddish yellow to brown yellow, and purple-brown. The midfield is always obscured and is bordered by lines, which reveal a significant bend and in addition show a nearly identical, parallel course. There are one or two more crosslines in the midfield, which also have a nearly parallel course, but are however much less developed. In the midfield also the cell stands out, the midfield bulges out and there is dark cross line. The marginal field is often brightened whitish brightened and a wavy line is missing. Below the apex, there is a large, prominent, crescent-shaped spot.The fringes are plain brown. The hind wings shimmer white, the edge is greyish and has an indistinct grey crossline.


Adults are on wing from July to mid September. There are two generations per year in The Netherlands and only one in the UK and North America.

The larva feed on Vaccinium, Salix and Populus species (mainly Populus tremula).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eulithis testata.