Editing November moth

{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = November moth
| image = Epirrita dilutata01.jpg
| taxon = Epirrita dilutata
| authority = ([[Michael Denis|Denis]] & [[Ignaz Schiffermüller|Schiffermüller]], 1775)
}}
The '''November moth''' (''Epirrita dilutata'') is a [[moth]] of the family [[Geometridae]]. The [[species]] was [[Species description|first described]] by [[Michael Denis]] and [[Ignaz Schiffermüller]] in 1775. It can be found in the [[Palearctic realm]] in [[western Europe]] from central [[Scandinavia]] to the Mediterranean the [[Caucasus]] and western [[Russia]].

The [[wingspan]] is 38–44&nbsp;mm, the forewings being variably marked with alternating pale and dark bands. The forewing ground colour is pale with darker grey and tinted brown. It has wavy lines. The hindwing is white grey with two lines. The distal fascia points in to the discal spot. [[Melanism]] is common and in some locations all-dark individuals make up the majority of the population.<ref>Jaan Viidalepp and  Axel Hausmann, 2013 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe''. 1. Auflage. Volume 3: Larentiinae I. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2013, ISBN|978-90-04-26097-9 </ref> The species is extremely similar to three of its relatives, the [[pale November moth]], the [[autumnal moth]] and the [[Epirrita filigrammaria|small autumnal moth]]  and they cannot usually be separated without examination of the [[Lepidoptera genitalia|genitalia]]. See Townsend et al.<ref>Martin C. Townsend, Jon Clifton and Brian Goodey (2010). [https://butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/Difficult_species_guide_page_30.pdf ''British and Irish Moths: An Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species'']. (covering the use of genitalia characters and other features) Butterfly Conservation.</ref>
 
The November moth flies at night from September to November{{ref|flight_season}} and is attracted to light and sometimes to [[nectar]]-rich flowers.

The [[caterpillar]] is green with red markings and feeds on a wide range of trees and [[shrub]]s. The species overwinters as an [[egg (biology)|egg]].

== Recorded food plants ==
*''Acer'' - [[maple]]
*''Betula'' - [[birch]]
*''Corylus'' - [[hazel]]
*''Crataegus'' - [[Crataegus|hawthorn]]
*''Fraxinus'' - [[Ash tree|ash]]
*''[[Malus]]'' - apple
*''[[Prunus]]''
*''Quercus'' - [[oak]]
*''Ulmus'' - [[elm]]

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

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

==External links==
{{Commons category|Epirrita dilutata}}
*[https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/epirrita-dilutata/ November moth at ''UKMoths'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052643/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=445093 ''Fauna Europaea'']
*[http://uahost.uantwerpen.be/vve/Checklists/Lepidoptera/Geometridae/Edilutata.htm Lepidoptera of Belgium]
*[http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Epirrita_Dilutata ''Lepiforum e.V.'']
*[http://www.vlindernet.nl/vlindersoort.php?vlinderid=293 ''De Vlinderstichting''] {{in lang|nl}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2184636}}

[[Category:Epirrita]]
[[Category:Moths described in 1775]]
[[Category:Moths of Europe]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Michael Denis]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Ignaz Schiffermüller]]
[[Category:Palearctic Lepidoptera]]


{{Operophterini-stub}}