Common emerald

{{short description|Species of moth}} {{Speciesbox | image = Hemithea-aestivaria.jpg | taxon = Hemithea aestivaria | authority = (Hübner, 1799) }}

The '''common emerald''' (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of Ireland and Britain. It was accidentally introduced into southern British Columbia in 1973.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Miktat|first=Doğanlar|last2=Beirne|first2=Bryan Patrick|date=October 1979|title=Hemithea aestivaria, a geometrid new to North America, established in British Columbia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)|journal=The Canadian Entomologist|volume=111|issue=10|pages=1121|doi=10.4039/Ent1111121a-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schmidt|first=Christian|last2=Anctil|first2=Alexandre|date=21 May 2021|title=Hemithea aestivaria (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a Palaearctic moth, new to eastern North America|url=https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/64985|journal=Biodiversity Data Journal|volume=9|doi=10.3897/BDJ.9.e64985|doi-access=free|pmc=8163713}}</ref>

==Description== All wings are generally soft grey-green with grey and white chequered fringes and narrow white fascia, two on the forewing, one on the hindwing. The green colouration tends not to fade over time as much as in other emeralds. The hindwings have a sharply angled termen giving the moth a very distinctive shape. The wingspan is 30–35 mm.<ref>Axel Hausmann, 2021 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe''. 1. Auflage. Volume 1: (Introduction to the series. Archiearinae, Oenochrominae, Geometrinae) . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2021 ISBN 978-90-04-32254-7</ref>

==Biology== It flies at dusk and night in June and July<ref>Powell, J. A. and P.A. Opler. (2009). ''Moths of Western North America''. Berkeley: University of California Press</ref> and will come to light.

The larva is green with reddish-brown markings and black v-shaped marks along the back. The young larva will feed on most plants but later it feeds on trees and shrubs. The species overwinters as a larva.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Natural Resources Canada |date=2013-12-31 |title=Common emerald |url=https://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/en/insects/factsheet/1000020 |access-date=2026-05-07 |website=tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca}}</ref>

# {{Note|flight_season}} ''The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

==Recorded food plants== *''Aralia'' *''Artemisia'' *''Betula'' – birch *''Camellia'' *''Carpinus'' – hornbeam *''Castanea'' – chestnut *''Citrus'' *''Corylus'' – hazel *''Crataegus'' - hawthorn *''Diervilla'' – bush honeysuckle *''Hypericum'' – St John's wort *''Juglans'' – walnut *''Larix'' – larch *''Ligustrum'' – privet *''Malus'' – apple *''Morus'' – mulberry *''Photinia'' *''Prunus'' *''Quercus'' – oak *''Rhamnus'' – buckthorn *''Ribes'' – currant *''Rosa'' – rose *''Rubus'' *''Salix'' – willow *''Sorbus'' – rowan *''Tilia'' – lime *''Vaccinium'' *''Viburnum''

==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Hemithea aestivaria larva.jpg|Larva File:Hemithea aestivaria2008 07 08.jpg|At rest File:Hemithea aestivaria (9239392365).jpg|Ventral view File:Hemithea aestivaria SLU.JPG|Museum specimen </gallery>

==Synonymy== *''Phalaena aestivaria'' Hübner, 1789 *''Phalaena strigata'' Müller, *''Phalaena vernaria'' Esper, 1795 *''Nemoria alboundulata'' Hedemann, 1879 *''krajniki'' Komarek, 1950

==References== {{Reflist}} *Chinery, Michael ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' 1986 (Reprinted 1991) *Skinner, Bernard ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' 1984

==External links== {{Commons category|Hemithea aestivaria}} *[https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Hemithea_Aestivaria Lepiforum] *[http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/hemithea-aestivaria Common emerald] ''UKMoths'' *{{cite web |last=Savela |first=Markku |url=http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/geometroidea/geometridae/geometrinae/hemithea/#aestivaria |title=''Hemithea aestivaria'' (Hübner, 1789) |website=Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms |accessdate=November 30, 2018}} *[http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Hemithea_Aestivaria "07980 ''Hemithea aestivaria'' (Hübner, 1789) - Gebüsch-Grünspanner"]. ''Lepiforum e.V.'' Retrieved November 30, 2018.

Category:Hemitheini Category:Moths described in 1799 Category:Moths of North America Category:Moths of Europe Category:Moths of Japan Category:Moths of Asia Category:Taxa named by Jacob Hübner