Eulithis testata

Distinguished from similar species by six strongly angled chevron markings on forewing and semicircular brown blotch at termen. Forewing midfield bulges outward with dark crossline. Marginal field lacks wavy line, often appearing whitish.

Moorland, heathland, marshes, and sand dunes.

Holarctic: Palearctic from Great Britain and Scandinavia south to the Alps, east through Russia and Russian Far East to Japan. Nearctic from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island and Alaska, south to New Jersey in the east and Colorado in the west.

Adults on wing from July to mid-September. Two generations per year in the Netherlands; one generation per year in the UK and North America.

Larvae feed on Vaccinium, Salix, and Populus species, primarily Populus tremula. Additional northern records include birch and heather.

• Salix species - larval foodplant
• Populus tremula - primary larval foodplant
• Vaccinium species - larval foodplant
• birch - larval foodplant (northern populations)
• heather - larval foodplant (northern populations)

Overwinters as egg. Adults emerge late June or July, flying at dusk until mid-September.

Adults fly at dusk.

UK populations have shown significant decreases in both abundance and distribution since 1970. Subject of genomic research with chromosomally complete genome sequenced (308.1 Mb, 30 chromosomal pseudomolecules including Z sex chromosome, 16,167 protein-coding genes).

• Eulithis populataSimilar appearance and habitat; distinguished by wing pattern details and geographic range
• Ecliptopera speciesSister genus within tribe Cidariini; requires examination of genitalia or detailed wing pattern for separation

• geometrid
• larentiine
• Holarctic
• dusk-flying
• declining UK populations
• genome sequenced

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• The genome sequence of the Chevron, Eulithis testata (Linnaeus, 1761).