Subspecies E. p. interruptofasciata is sometimes treated as a valid species Eupithecia interruptofasciata.
The forewings are greyish brown often with two distinctive black cross bands. The wingspan is 17–21 mm (0.67–0.83 in). It is relatively contrastingly coloured, with marked, light and dark cross-bands and short black longitudinal lines. It often lacks a black spot in the middle of the wing (discal spot). It is extremely variable but generally easy to recognize by the acutely angulated antemedian line, the whitish patch between discal dot and the postmedian and dark dashes proximally to the postmedian — graeseriata Ratzer (= latoniata Mill.) is larger and greyer is in general more weakly marked but very variable (Swiss Alps). — anglicata H-Sch. from the chalk cliffs of Kent, is a whitish grey form of rather characteristic appearance. — scoriata Stgr. from Iceland, is a dark, weakly-marked form.[3]
3,3a larvae after final moult
The larva has a number of short brushes and numerous small white warts. The body is green, along the back it has either a simple, dark back strip or a variety of bell-shaped, dark brown spots.
The adults fly at night from July to September,[2] and are attracted to light.
^Mironov, V. G.; Galsworthy, A. C. & Ratzel, U. (2008). "A survey of the Eupithecia fauna (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) of the Western Himalayas: Part 2". Transactions of the Lepidopterological Society of Japan. 59 (2): 117-143.
^Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.[1] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Chinery, Michael (1986, reprinted 1991). Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
