Argent and sable

Rheumaptera hastata
Rheumaptera hastata (Julian Alps, Slovenia)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Rheumaptera
Species: Rheumaptera hastata
Binomial name
Rheumaptera hastata

Argent and sable moths or Rheumaptera hastata are day flying moths of the Geometridae family, with distinctive black and white colourings. They tend to live on wetlands and hillsides. The larvae spin together the leaves of their food plants (such as birch and bog myrtle) to form their cocoons. It was named argent and sable in 1778. Argent and sable refers to the heraldic color names for black and white. Their distribution is Holarctic.

Caterpillar

Distribution

The species occurs in almost all parts of Europe. The distribution area stretches over the Northern Asia to the Russian Far East and large parts of China on to Japan. The species occurs in large parts of North America. Currently three subspecies are distinguished Rheumaptera hastata hastata, Rheumaptera hastata nigrescens and Rheumaptera hastata thulearia.

Museum specimen

Description

The wings have a black ground colour with variable white pattern elements. A wider inner cross and a narrow basal cross line are typical. The dark midfield is traversed by white patches, which may be continuous. The outer cross line forms a wide white band, which usually has a row of black dots. In the black area of the margin is a wavy line broken into white stains, which forms an arrow - or spearhead-shaped element (hastata is Latin for spear-shaped). The fringes are black and white patched. The pattern of the hind wing is similar to the front wing. In some forms the black tone is reduced on a few black stains.

Variation

The R. hastata species group is extremely variable and splits up into several local races. The name-typical (Ssp. hastata form is larger with the median band strongly broken behind the middle, and intensely black markings. -ab. laxata Krulik has the white areas still further widened, the postmedian band much broader than usual, the black median markings narrowed and broken, and no black dots in the postmedian band. ab. demolita Prout is a more extreme form, the black median band only remaining as a small patch on the discocellulars and a small one at the hindmargin.[1]

References

Specific
  1. ↑ Waring, P; Lewington, R; Townsend, M (2009). Field guide to the moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Gillingham: British Wildlife. ISBN 978-1472930309.
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