Scopula emutaria (Hübner, [1809])

Host plants:
According to literature the larvae have been found on Rumex acetosella and Hypochaeris radicata. They feed polyphagously on herbs of the salt meadows and dunes.

Habitat:
Scopula emutaria inhabits salty habitats like salt meadows, coastal wetlands, lagunes, margins of dunes, marshes and similar places both inland and along coasts (Atlantic, Mediterranean). In Germany it obviously is still found only on the Islands of the North Sea (east and north Friesland).

Life cycle:
The adults fly in one (then mostly in June/July, e.g. NW-Germany, but there sometimes also a partial second generation in early autumn) to two or even more generations (then May to September). The larva hibernates. It has been found in the penultimate instar in a wet salt meadow some dozens of metres away from the dune margin in the ground vegetation on Spiekeroog island in mid-March 2024. The larva should be mature in May there.

Endangerment factors:
Scopula emutaria is threatened as it is its habitat due to dewatering, intensification, overbuilding and tourism.

Remarks:
The more Atlanto-Mediterranean species occurs locally from NW-Africa across southwestern, southern central and northwestern central Europe. In central Europe only very few sites are left (especially North sea coast). The eastern border seems to be in Croatia (Dalmatian coast).
The situation in eastern central and southeastern Europe seems to be difficult as there is a similar species S. flaccidaria (e.g. E-Austria). Supposedly boths species may be sympatrical in some regions there like at lake Neusiedl.

Literature:
Wegner, H. (2013): Bestandssituation und Habitatpräferenz einiger Spannerfalter-Arten im nordwestdeutschen Tiefland (Lep., Geometridae). — Melanargia 25 (3): 109-158.

Hausmann, A. (2004): The Geometrid moths of Europe.- Volume 2, Apollo Books.