Horse-chestnut [moth]
EN — Endangered

Horse-chestnut [moth]

Pachycnemia hippocastanaria

Pachycnemia hippocastanaria, the horse chestnut moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in most of Europe.

30

Countries

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachycnemia_hippocastanaria

01 — Classification

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Geometridae

Genus

Pachycnemia

Horse-chestnut [moth] belongs to the family Geometridae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.

02 — Description

Species Profile

Pachycnemia hippocastanaria, the horse chestnut moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in most of Europe.

The Horse-chestnut moth is declining primarily due to habitat loss from urbanization and changes in woodland management practices. The species' dependence on specific host plants and mature woodland environments makes it particularly vulnerable to landscape fragmentation and the loss of ancient woodland sites.

Key Facts

IUCN StatusEndangered (EN)
GroupInsects
03 — Habitat

Habitat & Distribution

TERRESTRIALMajor
04 — Threats

Threats

!

IUCN Red List: Endangered

The Horse-chestnut moth is declining primarily due to habitat loss from urbanization and changes in woodland management practices. The species' dependence on specific host plants and mature woodland environments makes it particularly vulnerable to landscape fragmentation and the loss of ancient woodland sites.

Habitat loss and fragmentation

HighOngoing

Urbanization and development

HighOngoing

Woodland management changes

HighOngoing

Climate change impacts on woodland ecosystems

MediumOngoing

Loss of host plant availability

MediumOngoing
06 — Range

Found in 30 Countries

AlbaniaAlgeriaAustriaBelgiumBulgariaCroatiaCzechiaDenmarkFranceGermanyGibraltarGreeceGuernseyIsle of ManItalyJerseyLatviaLuxembourgNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalSerbiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTunisiaTürkiyeUnited Kingdom
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07 — Sources

Sources & Attribution

How to Cite

IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS

GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org

This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Horse-chestnut [moth] (Pachycnemia hippocastanaria). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/horse-chestnut-moth

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