About Odezia atrata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Odezia is a monotypic moth genus (meaning it contains only one species) in the family Geometridae, first erected by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1840. Its only species is Odezia atrata, commonly known as the chimney sweeper, which was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. This moth is found across the Palearctic realm. In Europe, its range stretches from the Iberian Peninsula, through western and central Europe and the British Isles. Further east, its range extends to Sakhalin and the Amur-Ussuri region. The northern limit of its range is central Fennoscandia, while to the south it occurs from Italy to the Balkans. In Austria, this species, which previously occurred in large numbers, has become rare in many areas today, and many local populations have disappeared. The wingspan of Odezia atrata ranges from 23 to 27 mm, and the forewing length ranges from 12 to 15 mm. Adults are almost entirely black, with only the extreme apex and apical fringe of the forewing being white. For the subspecies O. a. pyrenaica, found in the Pyrenees and central Italy, the wings (especially the forewings) are more or less strongly dusted with brownish yellow. For the aberration O. a. nigerrima, described by Paul Thierry-Mieg from a single female specimen with no exact recorded locality, the white apex and apical fringe of the forewing are absent.
