Pseudoterpna coronillaria

Description

Pseudoterpna coronillaria, the Jersey emerald or gorse emerald, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is known from Spain, Portugal, the Pyrenees, western and southern France, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Samos, Rhodes, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, northern Jordan and North Africa. It has not been reported from mainland Great Britain, but is present on Jersey, where it was previously overlooked as a form of the grass emerald, until 2001 when it was correctly identified. The wingspan is 36–40 millimetres (1.4–1.6 in). Adults resemble Pseudoterpna pruinata, but are generally greyer-looking with just a hint of a greenish tinge, and have a sprinkling of darker scales. They are on wing in June and July in western Europe. The larvae feed on Genista tinctoria, Ulex species and broom.