Aplocera praeformata
Encyclopedia
The Purple Treble-bar (Aplocera praeformata) is a moth
of the Geometridae family. It is found from the Iberian Peninsula
and France
, through Western Europa, over Central Europa up to Russia
. Its northernmost range is Southern Finland
and the Baltic States
. The subspecies Aplocera praeformata urbahni is found in Greece
. In the Alps
it is found to heights of up to 2,000 meters.
It has a wingspan
of 34–44 mm. Adults are on the wing from June to August. It has one generation a year.
The larva
e feed on Hypericum
species, such as Hypericum maculatum
and Hypericum perforatum.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Geometridae family. It is found from the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, through Western Europa, over Central Europa up to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Its northernmost range is Southern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. The subspecies Aplocera praeformata urbahni is found in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
it is found to heights of up to 2,000 meters.
It has a wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
of 34–44 mm. Adults are on the wing from June to August. It has one generation a year.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Hypericum
Hypericum
Hypericum is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae ....
species, such as Hypericum maculatum
Hypericum maculatum
Hypericum maculatum Crantz is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus Hypericum, native to Europe and Western Asia and occurring in meadows....
and Hypericum perforatum.
Subspecies
- Aplocera praeformata gibeauxi Leraut, 1995
- Aplocera praeformata praeformata (Hübner, 1826)
- Aplocera praeformata urbahni Dufay, 1981