Scopula rubraria
species of insect
Scopula rubraria, also called a plantain moth, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is native to Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Edward Doubleday in 1843 and originally named Ptychopoda rubraria.
Description
It has straw coloured wings with zigzag markings. The wingspan is about 20 millimetres (0.79 in).
Distribution
It is found throughout New Zealand and Australia (especially the more coastal regions of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania), in the Kermadec Islands, Norfolk Island and New Caledonia.
Host species
The caterpillars feed on Plantago lanceolata (narrow-leaved plantain), and have also been raised on Medicago sativa (lucerne) and the New Zealand endemic plantain Plantago spathulata. With the increased planting of narrow-leaved plantain as a forage plant in New Zealand, it has become a nuisance for farmers, along with Epyaxa rosearia, another New Zealand geometrid moth whose caterpillars feed on plantain.
“Scopula rubraria” enters the record as species of insect. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Scopula, rubraria and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Scopula rubraria” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Scopula, rubraria and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3009822. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1843.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Scopula rubraria”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Scopula rubraria primary sources, Scopula rubraria archive and Scopula research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Scopula rubraria”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Scopula rubraria” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.