Grey pug

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Grey pug
Eupithecia subfuscata.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Eupithecia
Species:
E. subfuscata
Binomial name
Eupithecia subfuscata
(Haworth, 1809) [1]
Synonyms
List
    • Eupithecia blancheataCooke, 1881
    • Eupithecia castigariaBoisduval, 1840
    • Geometra castigataHubner, 1813
    • Eupithecia castigata
    • Eupithecia compressataGuenée, 1858
    • Eupithecia implicataWalker, 1862
    • Tephroclystia latipennisHulst, 1898
    • Eupithecia latipennis
    • Eupithecia ichinosawanaMatsumura, 1925
    • Eupithecia latimarginataMatsumura, 1925

The grey pug (Eupithecia subfuscata) 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 (plant corridor), 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.

Contents

Subspecies

There are two subspecies:

Eupithecia subfuscata Bury Ditches, England, May 2014 Eupithecia subfuscata, Grey Pug, Bury Ditches, England, May 2014 (20921822658).jpg
Eupithecia subfuscata Bury Ditches, England, May 2014

Description

The forewings of this species are grey (occasionally with an ochreous tinge) marked with pale fascia and radial lines which give it a mottled appearance. There is a pale sub-marginal line and a small discal spot. The hindwings are much paler and plainer also with a small black discal spot. [2] Melanism is quite common in this species. The wingspan is 17–21 mm. See also Prout [3]

Larvae after final moult & enlarged detail of segments Buckler W The larvae of the British butterflies and moths PlateCXXXI.jpg
Larvae after final moult & enlarged detail of segments

Final instar larvae are smooth and elongated. They are grey-green or red-brown coloured and show a grey-green to dark olive-green diamond-like pattern on the back. The side edges are whitish.The pupa is yellow-brown with greenish wing sheaths. At the cremaster there are six hook bristles, the middle pair of which is more powerfully formed.

Biology

The adults fly in May and June with a second brood sometimes emerging in August. The species flies at night and is attracted to light.

The species overwinters as a pupa.

Larval food plants

The larva feeds on the leaves and flowers of a wide range of plants.[ citation needed ]

Male genitalia Eupithecia subfuscata, Grey Pug, Trawscoed, North Wales, May 2016 - Flickr - janetgraham84.jpg
Male genitalia

Similar species

A safe determination is usually only possible by means of a genital morphological examination.

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mottled umber</span> Species of moth

The mottled umber is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is common throughout much of the Palearctic region. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759.

<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.

<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 venosata</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia venosata, the netted pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae, first described by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787. It is found across the Palearctic realm from Portugal and Morocco in the west to the Lake Baikal in Siberia and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east.

<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 trisignaria</i> Species of moth

Eupithecia trisignaria, the triple-spotted pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from across the Palearctic realm from Europe to Siberia.

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

Eupithecia valerianata, the valerian pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found from Great Britain, through central Europe to western Russia, Belarus and northern Iran.

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

Eupithecia distinctaria, the thyme pug, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe. It is also found in Iran. 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.

References

  1. Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Eupithecia subfuscata (Haworth 1809)". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
  2. Eupithecia subfuscata full description Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 29 December 2011
  3. 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 .