The Barred Carpet is a species of moth

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 in large parts of the Palearctic ecozone.

Its wingspan is 19-28 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing in July and August.

The larvae probably feed on various moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

 species in the wild, but have been reared on various plants, such as Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion , is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae . It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T...

, Stellaria media and Polygonum aviculare

Polygonum aviculare

Polygonum aviculare or Common Knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October....

. The larvae can be found from August to June. The species overwinters in the larval stage.

Subspecies

• Martania taeniata taeniata
• Martania taeniata obsoletum (Djakonov, 1929) (Kamchatka)