Editing Common emerald

{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Hemithea-aestivaria.jpg
| taxon = Hemithea aestivaria
| authority = ([[Jacob Hübner|Hübner]], 1799)
}}

The '''common emerald''' (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a [[moth]] of the family [[Geometridae]]. The species is found throughout the [[Nearctic]] and [[Palearctic]] regions and the [[Near East]]. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the [[Ireland]] and Britain. It was accidentally introduced into southern [[British Columbia]] in 1973.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Miktat|first=Doğanlar|last2=Beirne|first2=Bryan Patrick|date=October 1979|title=Hemithea aestivaria, a geometrid new to North America, established in British Columbia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)|journal=The Canadian Entomologist|volume=111|issue=10|pages=1121|doi=10.4039/Ent1111121a-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schmidt|first=Christian|last2=Anctil|first2=Alexandre|date=21 May 2021|title=Hemithea aestivaria (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), a Palaearctic moth, new to eastern North America|url=https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/64985|journal=Biodiversity Data Journal|volume=9|doi=10.3897/BDJ.9.e64985|doi-access=free}}</ref>
==Description==
All wings are generally soft grey-green with grey and white chequered fringes and narrow white [[fascia]], two on the forewing, one on the hindwing. The green colouration tends not to fade over time as much as in other emeralds. The hindwings have a sharply angled [[Glossary of entomology terms#termen|termen]] giving the moth a very distinctive shape. The [[wingspan]] is 30–35&nbsp;mm. <Ref>  Axel Hausmann, 2021 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe''. 1. Auflage. Volume 1: (Introduction to the series. Archiearinae, Oenochrominae, Geometrinae) . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2021  ISBN 978-90-04-32254-7 </ref>
==Biology==
It flies at dusk and night in June and July<ref>Powell, J. A. and P.A. Opler.  (2009). ''Moths of Western North America''.  Berkeley: University of California Press</ref> and will come to light.

The [[larva]] is green with reddish-brown markings and black v-shaped marks along the back. The young larva will feed on most plants but later it feeds on [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s. The species overwinters as a larva.

# {{Note|flight_season}} ''The flight season refers to the [[British Isles]]. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

==Recorded food plants==
*''[[Aralia]]''
*''[[Artemisia (plant)|Artemisia]]''
*''Betula'' – [[birch]]
*''[[Camellia]]''
*''Carpinus'' – [[hornbeam]]
*''Castanea'' – [[chestnut]]
*''[[Citrus]]''
*''Corylus'' – [[hazel]]
*''[[Crataegus]]'' - hawthorn
*''[[Diervilla]]'' – bush honeysuckle
*''[[Hypericum]]'' – St John's wort
*''Juglans'' – [[walnut]]
*''Larix'' – [[larch]]
*''Ligustrum'' – [[privet]]
*''[[Malus]]'' – apple
*''Morus'' – [[mulberry]]
*''[[Photinia]]''
*''[[Prunus]]''
*''Quercus'' – [[oak]]
*''Rhamnus'' – [[buckthorn]]
*''[[Ribes]]'' – currant
*''Rosa'' – [[rose]]
*''[[Rubus]]''
*''Salix'' – [[willow]]
*''Sorbus'' – [[rowan]]
*''[[Tilia]]'' – lime
*''[[Vaccinium]]''
*''[[Viburnum]]''

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Hemithea aestivaria larva.jpg|Larva
File:Hemithea aestivaria2008 07 08.jpg|At rest
File:Hemithea aestivaria (9239392365).jpg|Ventral view
File:Hemithea aestivaria SLU.JPG|Museum specimen
</gallery>
==Synonymy== 
*''Phalaena aestivaria'' Hübner, 1789
*''Phalaena strigata'' Müller, 
*''Phalaena vernaria'' Esper, 1795
*''Nemoria alboundulata''Hedemann, 1879
*''krajniki'' Komarek, 1950

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*Chinery, Michael ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
*Skinner, Bernard ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' 1984

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Hemithea aestivaria}}
*[https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Hemithea_Aestivaria Lepiforum]
*[http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/hemithea-aestivaria Common emerald] ''UKMoths''
*{{cite web |last=Savela |first=Markku |url=http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/geometroidea/geometridae/geometrinae/hemithea/#aestivaria |title=''Hemithea aestivaria'' (Hübner, 1789) |website=Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms |accessdate=November 30, 2018}}
*[http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Hemithea_Aestivaria "07980 ''Hemithea aestivaria'' (Hübner, 1789) - Gebüsch-Grünspanner"]. ''Lepiforum e.V.'' Retrieved November 30, 2018.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1497424}}

[[Category:Hemitheini]]
[[Category:Moths described in 1799]]
[[Category:Moths of North America]]
[[Category:Moths of Europe]]
[[Category:Moths of Japan]]
[[Category:Moths of Asia]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Jacob Hübner]]


{{Geometrinae-stub}}