About Drymonia querna (Denis & Schiffermüller), 1775
Drymonia querna, commonly called the oak marbled brown, is a moth species belonging to the family Notodontidae. It is distributed across mainland Europe excluding northern regions, as well as in the Middle East. This species has a wingspan ranging from 38 to 43 mm. The body and forewings are dark grey-brown; the forewings carry a slight reddish violet tone, and feature a sharply defined white lunule at the apex of the cell. Two black transverse lines cross the wing: one positioned before the center and one after. The proximal (closer to the body) line is straight, curving only outward in the area in front of the hind margin. The distal (farther from the body) line is dentate and has a white edge, with short black vein streaks extending from it toward the wing margin. A light, wavy submarginal line is also present on the forewings. Male hindwings are white, while female hindwings have a brownish tint. The larva is green, covered in many tiny whitish spots, and has closely spaced whitish subdorsal lines. A red-edged longitudinal stripe runs level with the black-margined spiracles, and this stripe is interrupted at the segmental incisions. The larva's head is greenish. Larvae can be found on oak bushes from May to June and from August to October. The pupa is black, and develops underground in a silk-lined cell.
