Chlorissa viridata

Chlorissa viridata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Chlorissa
Species:	C. viridata
Binomial name
	Chlorissa viridata; (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
	Phalaena (Geometra) viridata Linnaeus, 1758; Phalaena volutata Fabricius, 1775; Phalaena herbacea Fourcroy, 1785; Geometra prasinata Werneburg, 1864; Geometra viridaria;

Chlorissa viridata, the small grass emerald, is a species of moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from western Europe to eastern Asia.

The wingspan is 24–27 mm. The base colour of the forewings is green, but soon fades to yellow.

The larvae feed on Calluna vulgaris, Betula and Salix species (including Salix repens). Other recorded foodplants include Empetrum nigrum, Myrica gale, Vaccinium uliginosum, Quercus, Potentilla, Galium, Hieracium, Artemisia, Ononis, Clematis, Prunus, Crataegus, Corulus, Rubus, Erica, Ulex, Genista, Lotus corniculatus, Crataegus and Ledum palustre. Larvae can be found from July to August. The species overwinters as a pupa.

Etymology

The scientific name viridata refers to the green colour of the wings (viridis means green).

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