Idaea contiguaria

Idaea contiguaria, known in English as the Weaver's wave, is a small moth of the family Geometridae, the geometer moths. It was first described by the German entomologist Jacob Hubner in 1799 and occurs in Europe. The adult has a wingspan of about 20 millimetres and is whitish brown, more or less dusted or clouded with dark grey, with three irregular black lines across each forewing and two across each hindwing. It flies at dusk in a single generation from June to July and rests by day on lichen-covered rocks. The caterpillar is pale ochreous brown with irregular dark brown lines. Its larvae feed on heather (Calluna), crowberry (Empetrum) and navelwort (Umbilicus) from autumn to spring, and in captivity can be reared on chickweed or knotgrass. In the British Isles the species is known only from a few localities in North Wales, so its flight season there may differ from other parts of its range.