| Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)) |
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Scientific name: Phigalia pilosaria (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Common name: Pale Brindled Beauty French name: Phalène velue, Phigalie velue. Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Geometridae Subfamily: Ennominae Wingspan: 35-40 mm. Females are wingless. Biotope: Woodlands, parks and gardens. Geographic area: Europe, Asia Minor east to the Caucasus. Flight time: February to April (occasionally from late November to December). Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Mainly grey with some pink orange areas (mainly on the front parts and close to the spiracles) and with protruding black warts at the base of black hairs. The warts on segments 2 and 3 are notably larger than the other ones. The spiracles are white with black edges. The head is square shaped and appears bifid when seen from above. Host plant: Numerous deciduous trees including Willows (Salix), Poplars (Populus), Oaks (Quercus), etc. |
The male Pale Brindled Beauty's fore wings are a variable colour, greenish grey to blackish brown or olive brown. You can distinguish dark markings which may appear as parts of four interrupted cross stripes. These markings are better visible next to the costal edge or to the inner edge. The hind wings are a paler colour than the fore wings. The thorax is very hairy. The antennae are feathery. Females, which are wingless, are often observed at the base of tree trunks. They are generally a dark colour. They are very hairy and with a larger front part than the other wingless species that you may observe at the same time of the year. The Pale Brindled Beauty over winters as a pupa in the soil. Male Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) generally show darker fore wings with well marked dark cross stripes. They appear slightly later in the season. |
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You can easily recognize the Pale Brindled Beauty's caterpillar with its protruding black warts. |
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Another view of the same caterpillar. |
André Bon March 2018