About Cyclophora albipunctata (Hufnagel, 1767)
Cyclophora albipunctata, commonly known as the birch mocha, is a moth species belonging to the family Geometridae. It was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. This species is found across the Palearctic realm. Its southern range boundary runs westward along the French Atlantic coast, reaches the British Isles, and lies north of the Alps. To the east, its range extends all the way to the Pacific Ocean in the Russian Far East. South of the northern Alps line, it only occurs in certain high-elevation areas and mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the southern Alps, the northern Dinaric Alps, the western and northern Carpathians, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. To the north, its range reaches as far as the Arctic Circle. In the Far East, the nominate subspecies is replaced by Cyclophora albipunctata griseolata, which was described by Staudinger in 1897. The wingspan of Cyclophora albipunctata ranges from 20 to 25 mm. The apex of the forewing is slightly pointed. The wing ground colour is typically white, or ranges from whitish grey to light brown. Some individual specimens have a reddish dusted appearance. The wing pattern of the species is very variable. The interior and exterior crosslines are almost always formed as a series of points, and may sometimes be almost completely indistinguishable. Small points are usually present on the costa; the basal half of the costa can be heavily dusted with dark pigmentation. A median band may be quite clearly visible, or may be virtually absent. Marginal stains are almost always developed and noticeable, and mostly flow together, appearing slightly darker than the surrounding marginal field. Discal spots develop as dark rings with white centers. They can also be slightly elliptical, or reduced to simple, slightly reddish stains. The discal spots of the forewings are often bordered with brown-red, while any discal spots present on the hindwings are mostly black. The larvae of Cyclophora albipunctata feed on Betula (birch) species, including Betula verrucosa, Betula pubescens, Betula nana, and Betula pendula.
