Colostygia olivata, the beech-green carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775 and it is found in most of the Palearctic.

Beech-green carpet
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Colostygia
Species:	C. olivata
Binomial name
Colostygia olivata (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms
Geometra olivata Denis & Schiffermuller, 1775 Cidaria gigantea Pinker, 1953

The wingspan is 22–27 millimetres (0.87–1.06 in). Freshly hatched moths have green forewings. There is a darker, brown central band narrower towards the centre of the forewings. This band is edged with a white wavy line. The hindwings are smoky grey with a pale crossline.The larva is stout, slightly tapering at each end, rugose, with conspicuous tubercles and setae. It is reddish-ochreous or brownish ochreous with an interrupted grey dorsal line. The lateral and ventral surfaces are mostly dull reddish; tubercles black. The pupa is rather stout, bright red or red-brown, the abdomen darker.[1]

Adults are in wing from May to August in one generation.

The larvae feed on Galium species. Larvae can be found from September to May.

Subspecies

• Colostygia olivata olivata
• Colostygia olivata gigantea Pinker, 1953

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colostygia olivata.

• Beech-green carpet at UKMoths
• Lepidoptera of Belgium
• Lepiforum e.V.