Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths (Geometroidea) » Geometrid Moths (Geometridae) » Larentiinae » Hydriomenini » Eulithis » Eulithis mellinata - Hodges#7202 (Eulithis mellinata)

Species Eulithis mellinata - Hodges#7202

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited
Moth - Eulithis mellinata
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Geometroidea (Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths)
Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
Subfamily Larentiinae
Tribe Hydriomenini
Genus Eulithis
Species mellinata (Eulithis mellinata - Hodges#7202)
Hodges Number
7202
Other Common Names
Spinach Moth
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Eulithis mellinata (Fabricius, 1787)
Phalaena mellinata Fabricius, 1787
Phylogenetic sequence #211175
Size
Wingspan: 26 -31 mm (1)
Identification
Adult: FW pale yellow marked with brown fascia and apical streak. Wing pattern usually better contrasted in a male than in female. Transverse lines brown, PM line medially with one projection towards termen, usually joining inner termen at a right angle. Fringe checkered dark brown and white. The hindwings are plain cream. (1)
Larva: Green with white lines. (2)
Range
Found throughout much of the Palearctic region and the Near East though its distribution is rather local due to its specialized larval food plant. In the British Isles it is fairly common in England and Wales. (2)
Distribution & Flight-period Chart (3)
Season
Univoltine (1)
Food
Larva feeds exclusively on various Ribes species, such as red and black currants. (2)
Life Cycle
The species overwinters as an egg. (2)
Remarks
Although a European moth, it has been long known in North America, as Hodges placed in his "Check List of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico."
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group – species page (3)
BOLD Systems - images of DNA supported specimens (4)
Wikipedia - brief description (2)
Lepiforum - images of live & pinned adults, and larva
UK Moths - image of adult
Works Cited
1.The Geometrid Moths of Europe, Volume 3
Axel Hausmann and Jaan Viidalepp. 2012. Apollo Books.
2.Wikipedia
3.North American Moth Photographers Group
4.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
Contributed by Robert Lord Zimlich on 9 November, 2016 - 3:54am
Last updated 10 November, 2016 - 12:08pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact