About Xanthorhoe designata (Hufnagel, 1767)
This species, Xanthorhoe designata (Hufnagel, 1767), has colouring nearly identical to Xanthorhoe munitata. Its median band is light red, with a conspicuous black bar on its proximal edge; the distal edge, at least in its anterior portion, is also usually conspicuously black. The under surface has weaker markings. One aberration, ab. coarctata ab. nov. [Prout], has a greatly narrowed, usually very dark median band, similar to the corresponding aberration of Xanthorhoe ferrugata. Another form, islandicaria Stgr., found in Iceland, has more weakly marked ground colour that is often whiter; the centre of its median band is also pale, but its black edgings are commonly widened. The larva is relatively sturdy, is mostly naked apart from a few short bristles, and is brownish with a bright lateral stripe. This species is distributed across Europe, Asiatic Russia, and Japan.
