Species Details

ABH: 70.275

BF: 1952

Family: Geometridae

Subfamily: Ennominae

Taxon: Ematurga atomaria

=Ematurga atomaria f. minuta

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Common Heath

Account: Common on acid heathland, moorland, grassland, woodland rides and roadside verges throughout the British Isles Day-flying. Very variable, but only likely to be confused with Latticed Heath Chiasmia clathrata, which see; in the south a large, yellow form sometimes occurs on chalk downland and in young plantations. Larva feeds on Red Clover, White Clover and Bird's-foot Trefoil, over-wintering as a pupa.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 22 — 34 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 5 Apr (2007) — 4 Aug (1979)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Calluna sp., Erica sp., Trifolium sp.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 2 — Care needed to identify, an image may be required 🤔
Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/ematurga-atomaria/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 318

Individuals: 692

Earliest Year: 1893

Latest Year: 2025

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