About Paradarisa consonaria (Hübner)
Paradarisa consonaria, commonly known as the brindled square spot or square spot, is a moth species belonging to the family Geometridae. Its distribution spans northern and central Europe, extending eastwards to south-eastern Siberia and Japan. This is a variable species with a documented tendency toward melanism. Well-marked individuals display a dark square spot on the forewing. It can be distinguished from members of the crepuscularia group by its overall color tone, as well as by the shape and position of its postmedian line. Females are much more whitish in color than males, and have a stronger, darker quadrate spot between the postmedian and subterminal lines of the forewing. The abnormal form nigra Bankes is uniformly blackish, with only a very small patch of white located distally to the cell. The wingspan of this species ranges from 40 to 45 mm. Adult moths are active on the wing from April to June. The eggs are yellow with orange-red markings, and have longitudinal ribbing. Larvae are elongated with transverse wrinkles, and bear two minute warts on the 8th abdominal segment; they are yellowish brown, clouded with grey, and have reddish markings. Larvae feed on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees, including birch, beech, and oak. This species overwinters in the pupal stage.
