Abraxas grossulariata is a moth of the family Geometridae, native to the Palaearctic ecozone and North America. Its distinctive speckled colouration has given it a common name of magpie moth. The caterpillar is similarly coloured to the adult, and may be found as a pest feeding on the leaves of shrubs such as gooseberry.


larva
The length of the forewing is 18–25 mm.The strikingly patterned forewings have a white ground cololor, with six transverse series of black stains, partly associated with a pale yellow basal cross-band and another through the central area of the forewing.The hind wings are paler, and have much less dark stains on them, and these are also small.

It is a highly variable species with many different forms. Research using Abraxas grossulariata led to the discovery of sex-linked characters.

Subspecies

Abraxas grossulariata grossulariata
Abraxas grossulariata karafutonis Matsumura, 1925 (Sakhalin)
Abraxas grossulariata conspurcata Butler, 1878 (Japan)
Abraxas grossulariata dsungarica Wehrli, 1939 (Dzungaria)
Recorded foodplants

Ribes rubrum
Ribes nigrum
Prunus spinosa
Crataegus
Corylus
Euonymus europaeus
Salix

source - Wikipedia