Eupithecia

Currant pug Eupithecia assimilata, photographed by Ben Smart.

Belongs within: Geometridae.

Eupithecia, pugs, is a large and cosmopolitan genus of moths, most species of which are however small and difficult to distinguish. Larvae of most species feed on the flowers and seeds of their preferred food plants.

Characters (from Watson & Dallwitz): Antennae of males simple; simply-ciliate. Face rough (with a short cone of scales). Wingspan 16–28(–36) mm. Forewings relatively narrow-elongate to relatively broad. The outer margin of the forewing convexly curved, or convexly curved to more or less straight. Forewings not predominantly green, yellow, or black; diverse in colour but not green, usually more or less conspicuously transversely patterned; predominantly whitish, or pale ochreous, or ochreous, or cream, or light brown, or brown, or pale fuscous, or fuscous, or pale grey, or grey; with a clear discal mark, or without a clear discal mark; with a distinct median band (very rarely, with a dark band), or without a median band. Outer margin of the hindwings smooth. Hindwings conspicuously patterned to plain (like or unlike the forewings); diverse in colour but not green, like or somewhat unlike the forewings; not predominantly green, yellow, or black; with a clear discal mark to without a clear discal mark; transversely lined (usually, the lines sharp to faint), or without transverse lines. Vein 10 of the forewings arising independently of 9; arising independently, anastomosing with 11 and 9 to form a double areole, or arising out of 11 and anastomosing with 9 to form a simple areole (mostly). Hindwings exhibiting a tubular vein 5. Vein 5 of the hindwings arising from about the middle of the transverse vein, or arising from below the middle of the transverse vein. Vein 8 of the hindwings approximated to or anastomosed with the upper margin of the cell to the middle or beyond. Hindwing veins 6 and 7 stalked. Posterior tibiae of males 4-spurred. Abdomen conspicuously patterned, or plain.

<==Eupithecia
    |--E. abietaria (Goeze 1781) JP05
    |--E. andrea Weisert 2005 F05
    |--E. assimilata (Doubleday 1856) JP05
    |--E. cauchiata (Duponchel 1830) JP05
    |--E. coronata P01
    |--E. expallidata (Doubleday 1856) JP05
    |--E. extraversaria (Herrich-Schäffer 1852) JP05
    |--E. goossensiata (Mabille 1869) JP05
    |--E. intricata (Zetterstedt 1839) JP05
    |--E. laquaearia Herrich-Schäffer 1848 JP05
    |--E. nanata (Hübner 1813) JP05
    |--E. pusillata (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
    |--E. satyrata (Hübner 1813) JP05
    |--E. simpliciata (Haworth 1809) JP05
    |--E. sinuosaria P01
    |--E. subfuscata (Haworth 1809) JP05
    |--E. trisignaria Herrich-Schäffer 1848 JP05
    |--E. venosata (Fabricius 1787) JP05
    `--E. virgaureata Doubleday 1861 JP05

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[F05] Fernández, J. 2005. Noticia de nuevos táxones para la ciencia en el ámbito Íbero-Balear y Macaronésico. Nuevos táxones animales descritos en la península Ibérica y Macaronesia desde 1994 (IX). Graellsia 61 (2): 261–282.

[JP05] Jungmann, E., & U. Poller. 2005. Neunachweise und Wiederfunde für die Schmetterlingsfauna (Insecta; Lepidoptera) des Altenburger Landes. Mauritiana 19 (2): 317–326.

[P01] Pável, J. 1901. Lepkék [Lepidopteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 171–177. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

Last updated: 16 August 2017.