Species Details

ABH: 70.079

BF: 1769

Family: Geometridae

Subfamily: Larentiinae

Taxon: Thera britannica

Authority: (Turner, 1925)

Vernacular: Spruce Carpet

Account: Common in coniferous woodland, plantations, parks and gardens throughout much of the British Isles For comparison with confusion species, click here. Larva feeds on Norway Spruce, Sitka Spruce, Scots Pine and Douglas Fir.

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: 30 — 36 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 1 Jan (2023) — 4 Dec (1985)

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

Foodplant: Picea abies (Norway Spruce), Picea sp., Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir).

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/thera-britannica/
Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 472

Individuals: 160

Earliest Year: 1903

Latest Year: 2025

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