Eupithecia
Encyclopedia
Eupithecia is a large genus
of moth
s of the family Geometridae
. There are hundreds of described species
, found in all parts of the world (45 in the British Isles
alone), and new species are discovered on a regular basis.
Eupithecia species form the bulk of the group commonly known as pugs. They are generally small with muted colours and specific identification can be difficult. As a group they are easily identified by their narrow wings held flat at 90° to the body with the hindwings almost hidden behind the forewings.
The larva
e of many species feed on the flower
s and seed
s of their food plant
s rather than the foliage. Many species have a very specific food plant. Some Hawaii
an Eupithecia are predators of other insects (E. orichloris
, E. staurophragma
, E. scoriodes
). They mimic twigs but when sensitive hairs on their backs are triggered, they quickly grab the insects touching them. The defensive behavior of snapping may have pre-adapted Hawaii's ancestral Eupithecia for shifting to predation from feeding on pollen. Also, insect predators that behave in this way are lacking in Hawaii's fauna.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s of the family Geometridae
Geometer moth
The geometer moths or Geometridae are a family of the order Lepidoptera...
. There are hundreds of described species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, found in all parts of the world (45 in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
alone), and new species are discovered on a regular basis.
Eupithecia species form the bulk of the group commonly known as pugs. They are generally small with muted colours and specific identification can be difficult. As a group they are easily identified by their narrow wings held flat at 90° to the body with the hindwings almost hidden behind the forewings.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of many species feed on the flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s of their food plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s rather than the foliage. Many species have a very specific food plant. Some Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Eupithecia are predators of other insects (E. orichloris
Eupithecia orichloris
Eupithecia orichloris is a species of moth that is native to Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii.It is known for having its larval form as a caterpillar which is insectivorous. The caterpillar has two abdominal appendages which serve as triggers to initiate a backward motion by which it grasps prey...
, E. staurophragma
Eupithecia staurophragma
Eupithecia staurophragma is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Maui and Hawaii.It has an unusual shape of the hind wings. It is highly variable in color pattern.-External links:*...
, E. scoriodes
Eupithecia scoriodes
Eupithecia scoriodes is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Maui.It is a dark, nearly black species. It is similar to Eupithecia phaeocausta, but the markings are much more definite.-External links:*...
). They mimic twigs but when sensitive hairs on their backs are triggered, they quickly grab the insects touching them. The defensive behavior of snapping may have pre-adapted Hawaii's ancestral Eupithecia for shifting to predation from feeding on pollen. Also, insect predators that behave in this way are lacking in Hawaii's fauna.
Species
The following roster lists more than 455 species.
|
Eupithecia melanolopha Eupithecia melanolopha is a moth in the Geometridae family. It is found in the Indian Subregion, Taiwan, Japan, Borneo, Java and Bali .The wingspan is 16-21 mm.The larvae have been recorded feeding Stephania species.... Swinhoe, 1895 Eupithecia millefoliata The Yarrow Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe.The wingspan is ca. 21 mm. The moths flies from June to July depending on the location.The larvae feed on Achillea millefolium.... – Yarrow Pug Rössler, 1866 Eupithecia miserulata The Common Eupithecia is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in North America.The wingspan is 12–20 mm. The moths flies from March to November depending on the location.... Grote, 1863 Eupithecia monticolans Eupithecia monticolans is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii, where it is widespread.This species is extremely variable.... Butler, 1881 Eupithecia nanata The Narrow-winged Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found all over Europe, except the South-East.The wingspan is 13–17 mm. The moths flies from March to September depending on the location.... – Narrow-Winged Pug (Hübner, 1813) Eupithecia niphoreas Eupithecia niphoreas is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Kauai.It is a bright-colored species with conspicuous orange or reddish scaling is. The head is bicolored, with the face black and reddish scaled and the area behind the antennae white.-External links:*... (Meyrick, 1899) Eupithecia nuceistrigata Eupithecia nuceistrigata is a moth in the Geometridae family. It is found in Taiwan.... Bastelberger, 1911 Eupithecia orichloris Eupithecia orichloris is a species of moth that is native to Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Lanai and Hawaii.It is known for having its larval form as a caterpillar which is insectivorous. The caterpillar has two abdominal appendages which serve as triggers to initiate a backward motion by which it grasps prey... Meyrick, 1899 Eupithecia orphnata Eupithecia lanceata is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from northern Europe to Anatolia.The wingspan is 17-21 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing from mid June to mid July.... Petersen, 1909 Eupithecia palpata The Small Pine Looper is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in Canada and the North-eastern parts of the United States.The wingspan is about 23 mm.The larva feed on Balsam fir, Eastern hemlock, Eastern... Packard, 1873 Eupithecia pernotata Guenee's Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is known from the Alps, through Romania to southern Russia. It is also found in Finland.The wingspan is 18-19 mm... Guenée, [1858] Eupithecia phaeocausta Eupithecia phaeocausta is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Molokai.It is a small, dark, narrow-winged, obscurely marked species.-External links:*... (Meyrick 1899) Eupithecia phoeniceata The Cypress Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe.The wingspan is 18–22 mm. The moths flies from August to September depending on the location.... – Cypress Pug (Rambur, 1834) Eupithecia pimpinellata The Pimpinel Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is known from most of Europe to the mountains of central Asia.... – Pimpinel Pug (Hübner, 1813) Eupithecia pinata Eupithecia pinata is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in North America . It was described by Samuel E. Cassino in 1925.... Cassino, 1925 Eupithecia plumbeolata The Lead-coloured Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe.The wingspan is 14–15 mm. The moth flies from May to June depending on the location.The larvae feed on Melampyrum pratense.... – Lead-Colored Pug (Haworth, 1809) Eupithecia prasinombra Eupithecia prasinombra is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Maui.-External links:*... (Meyrick, 1899) Foxglove Pug The Foxglove Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It has a scattered distribution across Europe, closely following the range of its food plant. Where present it can be very common.... – Foxglove Pug Stephens, 1831 Juniper Pug The Juniper Pug or Juniper Looper is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic and Nearctic regions and the Near East.... – Juniper Pug (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Eupithecia pygmaeata The Marsh Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is known from most of Europe, western and southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, northern Mongolia and North America .The wingspan is 14-18 mm... – Marsh Pug (Hübner, 1799) Eupithecia rhodopyra Eupithecia rhodopyra is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Kauai.The dull reddish coloration and the form and angulation of the medial bands of both pairs of wings are characteristic and unlike any other species in Hawaii.... (Meyrick, 1899) Eupithecia satyrata The Satyr Pug is a species of moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Ireland, through northern and central Europe east to central Asia and North Africa. It is also present in North America.... – Satyr Pug (Hübner, 1813) Eupithecia scoriodes Eupithecia scoriodes is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Maui.It is a dark, nearly black species. It is similar to Eupithecia phaeocausta, but the markings are much more definite.-External links:*... (Meyrick, 1899) Eupithecia selinata Eupithecia selinata is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Japan through the Amur Region, Siberia, the Urals, Caucasus and Russia to western Europe and from southern Fennoscandia to the Alps.... Herrich-Schäffer, 1861 Eupithecia simpliciata The Plain Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone.The wingspan is 21–23 mm. The moth flies from May to September depending on the location.... – Plain Pug (Haworth, 1809) Eupithecia sinuosaria The Goosefoot Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Eastern Asia, but has expanded its range to Central Europe.The length of the fore-wings is 10–12 mm... (Eversmann, 1848) Eupithecia staurophragma Eupithecia staurophragma is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Maui and Hawaii.It has an unusual shape of the hind wings. It is highly variable in color pattern.-External links:*... (Meyrick, 1899) Eupithecia stypheliae Eupithecia stypheliae is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to Hawaii.The larvae feed on Styphelia tameiameiae.-External links:*... (Swezey, 1948) Grey Pug The Grey Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East.The forewings of this species are grey marked with pale fascia and radial lines which give it a mottled appearance. The hindwings are much paler and plainer. Melanism is quite common in... – Grey Pug (Haworth, 1809) Eupithecia subumbrata The Shaded Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Mongolia and the Altai Mountains through Siberia, central Asia, Asia Minor and Russia to western Europe and from central Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Region.... – Shaded Pug (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Bordered Pug The Bordered Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region and the Near East.... – Bordered Pug (Linnaeus, 1758) Eupithecia taiwana Eupithecia taiwana is a moth in the Geometridae family. It is found in Taiwan.... Wileman & South, 1917 Eupithecia tantillaria The Dwarf Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe.The wingspan is 16–19 mm. The moths flies from April to July depending on the location.... – Dwarf Pug Boisduval, 1840 Slender Pug The Slender Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe and the Near East, in habitats favoured by its food plant.This is one of the smallest of the Geometrids with a wingspan of only 14-16 mm... – Slender Pug (Hübner, 1813) Eupithecia tripunctaria The White-spotted Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found all over Europe and North America.The wingspan is 17–21 mm. The moths flies from March to September depending on the location.... – White-Spotted Pug Herrich-Schäffer, 1852 Eupithecia trisignaria The Triple-spotted Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Europe to Siberia.The wingspan is about 20 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing from June to August.... – Triple-Spotted Pug Herrich-Schäffer, 1848 Eupithecia ultimaria The Channel Islands Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe.The wingspan is 13–17 mm. The moths flies from June to July depending on the location.The larvae feed on Tamarix gallica.... – Channel Islands Pug Boisduval, 1840 Eupithecia valerianata The Valerian Pug is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Great Britain, through central Europe to Russia and northern Iran.... – Valerian Pug (Hübner, 1813) Golden-rod Pug The Golden-rod Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. In the British Isles it is widespread but rather locally distributed.... – Golden-Rod Pug Doubleday, 1861 Common Pug The Common Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species across the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa.... – Common Pug Haworth, 1809 |