About Macaria notata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Scientific name: Macaria notata (Linnaeus, 1758). This species has a wingspan of 28–32 mm. The distal margin of the forewing has a small excision in its anterior half, or is at least faintly sinuous; the 1st and 2nd subcostal veins are stalked, or more often coincident along their entire length, and arise from the cell. The hindwing is whitish with moderate ochreous-grey dusting, it features a rust-coloured costal patch distal to the forewing's postmedian line, and a dark line running around the distal marginal excision. Dark marks located distal to the middle of the postmedian line are usually very well developed, but this feature is variable. Macaria notata can be distinguished from other species in the genus Macaria (except Macaria alternata) by a combination of three traits: a black paw print-shaped spot in the middle of the whitish grey brown-speckled forewing, a distinct notch in the anterior half of the forewing's distal margin, and a strongly pointed hindwing. Definite identification of this species requires examination of its genitalia. Adult moths fly from May to June. The caterpillars feed mainly on birch. In the Palearctic realm, this species is distributed across Central and North Europe, Russia, Transcaucasia, Iran, Issyk-Kul, Siberia, the Russian Far East, and Japan. In the Nearctic realm, it occurs in southern Canada, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and the U.S. state of Georgia.
