Belted Beauty Moth

Lycia zonaria

"Lycia zonaria", the belted beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775 and it is found in most of Europe.
Female Belted beauty moth (Lycia zonaria) The Belted beauty can be found all over Europe, but often only in small habitat patches. Females do not have wings, making it hard for this species to migrate to new habitats.

To the south a Munich lies a disused airstrip with surroundings meadows which is a well-known spot for finding these beauties.

In the same patch we also encountered some male specimens, such as:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/146050/male_belted_beauty_moth_lycia_zonaria.html

A related species, found in the higher regions of the Alps, is Lycia alpina:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/146074/lycia_alpina_.html Deutschland,Falter,Geotagged,Germany,Lycia zonaria,Schmetterling,Spring,Tiere,butterfly,mariposa

Appearance

The wingspan is 27–30 mm. Females are wingless. Males are variable, but always easy to recognize. Characteristic are the dark veins and broad dark distal area, bounded proximally and traversed by sharply white lines. The female is distinguished by its yellowish abdominal belts. The rudimentary white wings are common to the genus.
Male Belted beauty moth (Lycia zonaria) The Belted beauty can be found all over Europe, but often only in small habitat patches. Females do not have wings, making it hard for this species to migrate to new habitats.

To the south a Munich lies a disused airstrip with surroundings meadows which is a well-known spot for finding these beauties.

In a patch of a few square meters we encountered many females as well, such as
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/146051/lycia_zonaria_.html Deutschland,Falter,Geotagged,Germany,Lycia zonaria,Schmetterling,Spring,Tiere,butterfly,mariposa

Naming

*"Lycia zonaria zonaria"
⤷ "Lycia zonaria rossica"
⤷ "Lycia zonaria britannica"

Distribution

"Lycia zonaria" is found from central Europe, east to the Russian Urals. The populations in England and Wales are ssp. "britannica", those from the Urals are ssp. "rossica". The nominate subspecies is found in the south west of Spain and France, but is missing in the Mediterranean. The northern occurrence ranges to Denmark and southern Sweden.

Behavior

Adult males are on wing from March to April.

The larvae feed on a range of low-growing plants, including "Salix repens" and "Rosa pimpinellifolia".

The species is a typical resident of dry grassland, occurring at forest edges, sandy slopes and heaths.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyGeometridae
GenusLycia
SpeciesL. zonaria
Photographed in
Germany