Speckled Yellow

Pseudopanthera macularia

This record describes Pseudopanthera macularia (species). Recorded family: Geometridae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Speckled Yellow - Pseudopanthera macularia

Wingspan 23 to 28 mm. A highly distinctive, day-flying species. but must be supported by photographic evidence Please provide good photographs to support your record as this species is rare (thought extinct) in our area. Records cannot at present be confirmed without at least photographic evidence to support them. The moth is on the wing in May and June. Reasonably common in the south of England and Wales, as well as Ireland. It occurs more sporadically further north into Scotland.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Pseudopanthera

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Habitat

It inhabits woodland and scrubland.

Seasonal Activity

The moth is on the wing in May and June.

Diet and Behavior

Life History

The larvae feed mainly on Wood Sage.

Additional species information

Recorded status

Reasonably common in the south of England and Wales, as well as Ireland. It occurs more sporadically further north into Scotland.

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Pseudopanthera macularia. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

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