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Frosted broom

Isturgia famula

Description:

Female. Moth of the Geometridae family. Wingspan up to 4 cm. Forewings are brown with dark and white spots. Hindwings are yellow with dark horizontal line. The wings margins are chequered. The larvae feed on Cytisus, Genista, Sarothamnus, Spartium and Ulex species. It overwinters as a pupa in the ground.

Habitat:

Pine tree forest. Mountains above 1000 m high. Parque Nacional de Sierra de Guadarrama

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/2000 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: -1 EV. Focal Length: 90.0 mm. No Flash fired

10 Comments

arlanda
arlanda 9 years ago

Thanks Malcolm, bayucca and Daniele for your interest in this moth. Checking my next pictures to identify I found a Pirgus sp. or chequered skipper so it will be my next spotting.

arlanda
arlanda 9 years ago

Thanks for the ID, Manval

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Good job, maniacval :-)...
GebänderterBesenginsterspanner is German ;-)

Maniacval
Maniacval 9 years ago

Sorry common name: Frosted Broom (English), Fidonie du genêt (France) and Gebänderter Besenginsterspanner (Dutch).

Reference: http://www.lepidoptera.eu

Greets

Translations of French and German common names suggest this could be called Broom Moth or Banded Broom Moth.

Maniacval
Maniacval 9 years ago

Hi guys

Easy ;); thank you very much Daniele for this nickname of moths maniacs (lol).

Take this link for look more pics the this mot:
http://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/inse...

Greets

DanielePralong
DanielePralong 9 years ago

I agree with bayucca and arlanda. I can see why you're raising the issue Malcolm: on the second shot for instance you could almost think the antennas are slightly clubbed. All members of the Pyrgus genus have clearly prominent downward bent antenna clubs, and none are a match on other features. One for the moths maniacs :-) Maybe Manval?

bayucca
bayucca 9 years ago

Definitely a moth any most probably a tough one!

arlanda
arlanda 9 years ago

Thanks Malcolm. I have been considering that possibility, but it does not fit completely OK to me, I never get a complete match. Specially the antennae. All the skippers (and all rhopalocera) have clubbed antennae but this specimen lacks the club end.
Thats why I think it could be a moth. I am scanning the Geometridae family to find a better match but it is a huge family

Hi arlanda, I think this is a butterfly, one of the skippers, maybe Pyrgus Genus. Check with bayucca or Daniele.

arlanda
Spotted by
arlanda

Cercedilla, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

Spotted on Jun 13, 2014
Submitted on Jul 22, 2014

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