Chlorissa viridata
| Chlorissa viridata | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Chlorissa |
| Species: | C. viridata |
| Binomial name | |
| Chlorissa viridata (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Chlorissa viridata, the small grass emerald, is a species of moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from western Europe to eastern Asia.
The wingspan is 24–27 mm. The base colour of the forewings is green, but soon fades to yellow.
The larvae feed on Calluna vulgaris, Betula and Salix species (including Salix repens). Other recorded foodplants include Empetrum nigrum, Myrica gale, Vaccinium uliginosum, Quercus, Potentilla, Galium, Hieracium, Artemisia, Ononis, Clematis, Prunus, Crataegus, Corulus, Rubus, Erica, Ulex, Genista, Lotus corniculatus, Crataegus and Ledum palustre. Larvae can be found from July to August. The species overwinters as a pupa.
Etymology
The scientific name viridata refers to the green colour of the wings (viridis means green).
Subspecies
- Chlorissa viridata viridata (central and southern Europe)
- Chlorissa viridata melinaria (Herrich-Schäffer, 1856) (southern Urals)
- Chlorissa viridata insigniata (Staudinger, 1901) (mountains of central Asia)