Seq # 600730010

Biston betularia (Linnaeus, 1758) Species

Last modified: Sept. 23, 2023, 1:08 p.m.


A common species throughout Belgium.
This species is the most well-known example in studies of industrial melanism.


Details

Classification
Family: Geometridae > Subfamily: Ennominae > Tribus: Bistonini > Genus: Biston > Species: Biston betularia
Vernacular names
Peper-en-zoutvlinder (NL), Peppered Moth (EN), La Phalène du Bouleau, le Biston du Bouleau (FR), Birkenspanner (DE)
First mention in Belgium
De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 16.
Status

Native


Distribution


Imago

Wingspan: 35–60 mm.

Museum specimens


Specimens in nature


Caterpillar


Bionomics

Hibernates as a pupa underground.
The moths come to light.

No pictures yet!

Flight periods

The adults fly from mid-May till mid-ugust in one generation a year.


Observed on

Substrates:
Deciduous trees and Herbaceous plants

The larva lives on a wide variety of trees and lower plants.

No pictures yet!