Species Details

ABH: 70.093

BF: 1758

Family: Geometridae

Subfamily: Larentiinae

Taxon: Gandaritis pyraliata

Authority: ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

Vernacular: Barred Straw

Account: Common in gardens, hedgerows, roadside verges, woodland edges and scrubby grassland throughout the British Isles; common and well distributed in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight. Wingspan 33-38 mm. The main confusion species is Spinach E. mellinata, with which it shares distinctive resting posture, but central band usually concolorous with forewing, and fringes of forewing plain, not chequered as in Spinach E. mellinata. Larva feeds on Cleavers and various bedstraws, over-wintering as an egg.

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: 33 — 38 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 4 Jun (1997) — 20 Aug (2018)

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

Foodplant:

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: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/gandaritis-pyraliata/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 399

Individuals: 255

Earliest Year: 1899

Latest Year: 2025

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