View source for Swallow-tailed moth

{{For|the other similarly named moths|Nepheloleuca complicata|Lyssa zampa}}
{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Ourapteryx sambucaria01..jpg
| taxon = Ourapteryx sambucaria
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = {{Specieslist
 |Phalaena sambucaria|Linnaeus, 1758
 |Urapteryx sambucaria|
 }}
}}

The '''swallow-tailed moth''' ('''''Ourapteryx sambucaria''''') is a [[moth]] of the family [[Geometridae]]. The species was [[Species description|first described]] by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his 1758 [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']]. It is a common species across Europe and the [[Near East]].

[[Image:Ourapteryx.sambucaria.caterpillar.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Caterpillar]]
[[Image:Ourapteryx sambucaria gelege.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Eggs]]
[[Image:Ourapteryx sambucaria frontview.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Front view]]

==Description==
This is a large ([[wingspan]] 50–62&nbsp;mm), impressive moth, remarkably [[butterfly]]-like. All parts of the adult are bright white to pale yellow marked with faint buffish [[fascia]]. The species gets its common name from pointed projections on the [[Glossary of entomology terms|termen]] of the hindwing with brownish spots at their base. It flies at night in June and July {{ref|flight_season}} and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers. Prout gives an account of the variations.<ref>Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.[https://archive.org/details/macrolepidoptera1216seit pdf *]{{PD-notice}}</ref>  The  egg is orange, with about 16 longitudinal keels and between them transverse lineations. The larva
is grey-brown, the colouring arranged in a succession of scarcely noticeable longitudinal lines.
<gallery mode=packed>
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic male dorsal.jpg| ♂  
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic male ventral.jpg| ♂ △
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic female dorsal.jpg|♀    
(MHNT) Ourapteryx sambucaria - Most Czech Republic female ventral.jpg|♀ △  
</gallery>
The brown, twig-like [[larva]] feeds on a variety of [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s including [[elderberry|elder]], [[Crataegus|hawthorn]], [[honeysuckle]] and [[ivy]]. The species overwinters as a larva.

#{{Note|flight_season}}''The flight season refers to the [[British Isles]]. This may vary in other parts of the range.''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Chinery, Michael ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe'' 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
* Skinner, Bernard ''Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles'' 1984

==External links==
{{commonscat|Ourapteryx sambucaria}}
* [https://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=1665 Swallow-tailed moth on ''UKMoths'']
* [http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Ourapteryx_Sambucaria ''Lepiforum e.V.'']

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1625300}}

[[Category:Ourapterygini]]
[[Category:Moths described in 1758]]
[[Category:Geometrid moths of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Moths of Asia]]
[[Category:Moths of Europe]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]


{{Ourapterygini-stub}}