"Oak beauty" redirects here. For the other moth with this common name, see Phaeoura quernaria.
Species of moth
Biston strataria
Male
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Biston
Species:
B. strataria
Binomial name
Biston strataria
(Hufnagel, 1767)
Biston strataria, the oak beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is native to Europe, the Balkan countries and the Black Sea region as far as Asia Minor and the Caucasus. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. B. strataria is found in a variety of habitats, but is mostly found in woodlands where it rests on the bark of trees, camouflaged by its mottled black and grey wings. The male has feather-like antennae while those of the female are more thread-like. The moth has a wingspan of 40 to 56 mm (1.6 to 2.2 in).
Fig 4,4a,4b,4c Larva after final moult
The larvae are mainly brown with three lumps near the end of the abdomen. They have evolved to resemble sticks which helps protect them from predators. The larvae feed on many species of trees, but the most commonly used host plants are oaks.[1]
^De Prins, W.; Steeman, C. "Biston strataria (Hufnagel, 1767)". Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Belgium. Flemish Entomological Society. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
Bistonstrataria, the oak beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is native to Europe, the Balkan countries and the Black Sea region as far as...
butterflies make use of the mechanism; these include the oak beauty moth Bistonstrataria and the scalloped oak moth Crocallis elinguaria, in which the pattern...
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