Eupithecia distinctaria

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Eupithecia distinctaria
Eupithecia distinctaria (NH266) (14543211816).jpg
Thyme Pug Moths of the British Isles.jpg
Illustration depicting an unusually brown (Western) specimen
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Eupithecia
Species:
E. distinctaria
Binomial name
Eupithecia distinctaria
Synonyms
  • Eupithecia albifronsataGraslin, 1863
  • Eupithecia heydenariaStaudinger, 1870

Eupithecia distinctaria, the thyme pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe. [2] [3] [4] It is also found in Iran. [5] from the Iberian Peninsula through western and central Europe including the British Isles as well as further east as far east as far as Russia and Iran. In the north the range reaches as far as the southern Fennoscandia, to the south, where it is more common, it occupies the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. It is found primarily on warm, stony slopes and rocky structures as well as on sparse grassy areas with thyme mounds. In the Alps, it rises to heights of 2000 metres.

Contents

The wingspan is 16–20 mm [3] [6] The forewing ground colour is clear ash grey with or without an admixture of brownish. There is a dark costal patch and a very conspicuous black discal spot. The colour is darker towards the outer margin and there is a fine white wavy post discal line. The hindwings are pale, suffused darker brown at the outer margin. There is also a small fine black discal spot near the costal margin.sextiata Mill, is a lighter grey or whitish, rather strongly marked southern form, best known from Southern France. [7] [8]

Fig.2 larvae after final moult Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths PlateCXXXIII.jpg
Fig.2 larvae after final moult

Last instar caterpillars are smooth and slender. They are mostly greenish colored and show a wide red back stripe. Sometimes monochrome red specimens appear. With these colours, they are superbly camouflaged on the flowers of their food plants.

The moth flies in June and July resting on stones by day.

Unsurprisingly, the larvae feed on thyme ( Thymus (plant) spp.). [6] [9]

Subspecies

Similar species

Male genitalia Eupithecia distinctaria, Thyme Pug, Great Ormes Head, North Wales, May 2016 - Flickr - janetgraham84.jpg
Male genitalia

Certain identification may require a genitalic preparation.

Related Research Articles

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The slender pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813 and is found throughout Europe and western parts of the Palearctic. The larva feeds on the catkins of willow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common pug</span> Species of moth

The common pug(Eupithecia vulgata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species across the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa. It ranges from the Atlantic coast of Ireland and Portugal across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia to the Russian Far East (Priamurje) and Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey pug</span> Species of moth

The grey pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America. Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpillar food plants, geological subsoil or the like it is a typical species of almost any Hochstaudenflur, where it occurs in the herb layer, in bushes and even on deciduous trees. It can be found on forest edges and hedgerows, on heath, in rocky places and wetlands, parks and gardens, as well as in villages and town centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordered pug</span> Species of moth

The bordered pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region. In the Pyrenees, the species can be found up to an altitude of 1800 metres. It prefers steppe areas, open bushy terrain, fallow and unimproved grasslands and parkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-rod pug</span> Species of moth

The goldenrod pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Henry Doubleday in 1861. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. In the British Isles it is widespread but rather locally distributed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper pug</span> Species of moth

The juniper pug or juniper looper is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found throughout the Palearctic and in the Nearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double-striped pug</span> Species of moth

The double-striped pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a widespread and common species, being found throughout the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa.

<i>Eupithecia innotata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia innotata, the angle-barred pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767. It ranges from Spain in the west to western Siberia and Central Asia in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brindled pug</span> Species of moth

The brindled pug is a moth of the family Geometridae found in Europe including the British Isles as well as further east to the Baltic States, Armenia, Turkey and the Caucasus. South it reaches North Africa.

<i>Eupithecia indigata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia indigata, the ochreous pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe. and across the Palearctic as far as the Altai mountains It primarily colonizes pine forests, mixed pine forests and pine plantations. In the Alps it rises to heights of 1800 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freyer's pug</span> Species of moth

Freyer's pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe, east to the Urals, the Russian Far East, Kazakhstan and China. It is also found in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larch pug</span> Species of moth

The larch pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in Europe, the Ural Mountains, West and Central Siberia, the Altai Mountains, Transbaikalia, Yakutia, the Far East, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and in North America, from Yukon and Newfoundland to New York and Arizona.

<i>Apeira syringaria</i> Species of moth

Apeira syringaria, the lilac beauty, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe and east across the Palearctic to the Russian Far East and Japan.

<i>Eupithecia tantillaria</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia tantillaria, the dwarf pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1840. The species can be found in the Palearctic realm.

<i>Eupithecia simpliciata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia simpliciata, the plain pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in the Palearctic realm, from western Europe to north-western China (Xinjiang). The species primarily colonizes wastelands, rubble and abandoned vineyards, and in Asia also salt steppes. In the Alps, the range of altitude extends up to 1200 metres.

<i>Eupithecia nanata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia nanata, the narrow-winged pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It can be found all over Europe including Russia and Ukraine. In the Alps it occurs up to 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) above sea level and in the Pyrenees to 2400 meters. The species prefers dry or boggy heathlands.

<i>Eupithecia tripunctaria</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia tripunctaria, the white-spotted pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species can be found from Europe to Korea and Japan and in North America.

<i>Eupithecia pimpinellata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia pimpinellata, the pimpinel pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is known from most of Europe to Morocco, Siberia, Kyrgyzstan, Altai, Mongolia.It primarily colonizes bushy places, forest edges, clearings, hedges, mountain slopes, embankments, railway dams and parks as well as semi-dry grasslands. In the Alps it rises to heights of 1800 metres.

<i>Eupithecia pygmaeata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia pygmaeata, the marsh pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is known from most of Europe, western and southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, northern Mongolia and North America .The species primarily colonizes floodplain and disused forests, bogs, river banks and marshy meadows. E. pygmaeata reaches up to 1800 meters in South Tyrol.

<i>Eupithecia expallidata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia expallidata, the bleached pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in North-West and Central Russia, South-East Scandinavia to the North Mediterranean and West Europe including the British Isles.

References

  1. Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Eupithecia distinctaria Herrich-Schaffer 1848". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
  2. Markku Savela. "Eupithecia distinctaria". funet.fi. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  3. 1 2 Bert Gustafsson (9 March 2009). "Eupithecia distinctaria". Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  4. Mike Wall. "Thyme pug (Eupithecia distinctaria)". Hants Moths. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  5. Mironov, V. & U. Ratzel, 2012: New species of the genus Eupithecia Curtis (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentii-nae) from Iran. Zootaxa3580: 56-68. Abstract:
  6. 1 2 Ian Kimber. "Thyme pug (Eupithecia distinctaria)". UKMoths. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  7. Full description of Eupithecia distinctaria Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 29 December 2011.
  8. Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.pdf PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  9. Wikisource:The Moths of the British Isles Second Series/Chapter 9#229