Abraxas grossulariata

Magpie moth
Abraxas grossulariata
Mounted specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Tribe: Abraxini
Genus: Abraxas
Species: A. grossulariata
Binomial name
Abraxas grossulariata
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms

Abraxas grossulariata is a moth of the family Geometridae, native to the Palaearctic ecozone and North America. Its distinctive speckled colouration has given it a common name of magpie moth. The caterpillar is similarly coloured to the adult, and may be found as a pest feeding on the leaves of shrubs such as gooseberry.

larva

The length of the forewing is 18–25 mm.The strikingly patterned forewings have a white ground cololor, with six transverse series of black stains, partly associated with a pale yellow basal cross-band and another through the central area of the forewing.The hind wings are paler, and have much less dark stains on them, and these are also small.

It is a highly variable species with many different forms. Research using Abraxas grossulariata led to the discovery of sex-linked characters.

Subspecies

Recorded foodplants

References

External links

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