Lythria purpuraria | |
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Species: | L. purpuraria
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Lythria purpuraria (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Lythria purpuraria, the purple-barred yellow, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from western Europe to Siberia, Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
L. purpuraria generally have two red-purple transverse lines in their green-yellow forewings. They are often confused with L. cruentaria, a sister species in the same family. This is because they are both available in a variety of sizes with multiple wing patterns.[1] L. purpuraria and the other four species within the Lythria family have a very difficult genitalia structure, which is complicated to analyze and study.[2]
Adults are on wing from April to June and again from July to September. It is a day-flying species. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on prostrate knotweed, also known as Polygonum aviculare.[3]