| Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria (Clerck, 1759)) |
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Scientific name: Erannis defoliaria (Clerck, 1759) Common name: Mottled Umber Other names: Other scientific name: Hibernia defoliaria. French name: Hibernie défeuillante Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Geometridae Subfamily: Ennominae Wingspan: 40-45 mm. Biotope: Deciduous forests, orchards, parks and gardens. Geographic area: Palaearctic area and Near Est. Flight time: October to January. Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Russet to pale brownish yellow with a black longitudinal line. The part of the body below this line bears the spiracles. It is usually a paler yellow colour. There are more or less marked russet patches around the spiracles. The russet brown head is indented on the upper side. Host plant: Many tree and shrub species including Willows (Salix sp.), Birches (Betula sp.), Oaks (Quercus sp.), Prunus sp., Hawthorns (Crataegus sp.), Alders (Alnus sp.), Hazels (Corylus sp.), Apple trees (Malus sp.), Rubus sp., Hornbeams (Carpinus sp.), Limes (Tilia sp.), Honeysuckles (Lonicera sp.), Sorbus sp., Ribes sp. and Rose bushes (Rosa sp.). These caterpillars can cause important damages to orchards. |
Only male Mottled Umbers are fully winged, females are wingless. The colour of the male's fore wings is very variable, from dark brown to pale cream with, sometimes, dark irregular cross stripes. (These stripes are the same colour as the basal area). The hind wings are whitish. Males have feathery antennae. Females, that you can find on trunks or branches, are white with black marks. The thread -like antennae and the legs are ringed with black. Males are attracted to light. The Mottled Umber over winters as an egg. |
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I have observed this caterpillar on my rose bushes. There has not been any apparent damage. I have seen only one caterpillar. |
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This paler coloured caterpillar has been observed on a Hazelnut Tree. |
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I have observed this caterpillar in a forest. |
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I have observed this caterpillar of the pale form in the same forest. I still need to observe the imago but I may need to attract it to light and in early winter. |
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The very strong or even stormy winds of the previous days must probably have carried this female Mottled Umber from a trunk or a branch of a nearby tree to the wall of my house. This makes it much easier to observe. |
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Now I just have to find a male to photograph it… |
André Bon November 2022
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