Essex emerald
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Subfamily: Geometrinae
Tribe: Comibaenini
Genus: Thetidia
Species:
T. smaragdaria
Binomial name
Thetidia smaragdaria
(Fabricius, 1787)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena smaragdaria Fabricius, 1787
  • Phorodesma castiliaria Staudinger, 1892
  • Euchloris maritima Prout, 1935
  • Geometra prasinaria Eversmann, 1837
  • Geometra gigantea Milliere, 1874
  • Geometra volgaria Guenee, 1858

The Essex emerald (Thetidia smaragdaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787 as Phalaena smaragdaria.[1] It is distributed throughout the Palearctic region with records from many European countries. The British subspecies Thetidia smaragdaria maritima was last seen in 1991 in Kent and is now presumed extinct.[2] In 2004 the moth was first recorded from Sweden.

Illustration from John Curtis's British Entomology Volume 6

The wingspan is 27–35 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing from mid-June to mid-July.

The larvae feed on Artemisia maritima and Achillea millefolium. Larvae can be found from July to June the following year. It overwinters in the larval stage.

Subspecies

  • Thetidia smaragdaria smaragdaria
  • Thetidia smaragdaria gigantea Milliere, 1874
  • Thetidia smaragdaria maritima Prout, 1935
  • Thetidia smaragdaria volgaria Guenee, 1858

References

  1. ↑ "Thetidia smaragdaria (Fabricius, 1787)". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  2. ↑ "Essex Emerald".
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