Latticed heath
The latticed heath is a moth of the family Geometridae, belonging to the subfamily Ennominae, placed in the tribe Macariini. The genus was erected by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Taxonomy
The current placement of the latticed heath in the genus Chiasmia follows from the revision by Malcolm J. Scoble of the tribe Macariini, when he showed that true Semiothisa species were restricted to the Americas. There are a number of described subspecies. Molecular work has confirmed the placement of the species within Chiasmia.Subspecies
Subspecies include:Chiasmia clathrata clathrata Chiasmia clathrata centralasiae Chiasmia clathrata djakonovi- ''Chiasmia clathrata kurilata''
Distribution and habitat
This species can be found throughout Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and east through Russia, Siberia, Amur River, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Korea to Japan. It is a fairly common species in the British Isles. These moths inhabit a range of open areas, including grassland, moorland, and waste ground.Description
Adult
Chiasmia clathrata has a wingspan of 20–25 mm. In this rather variable species the background colour of the wings varies from yellowish to white, with a network of brown lines. These lines vary in thickness and sometimes the wings are almost entirely dark brown.[Image:Buckler W The larvæ of the British butterflies and moths PlateCXXI.jpg|thumb|
140px|left|Fig. 6 larva after final moult]