70.158 : 1854 : 8583
Geometridae : Larentiinae

Juniper Pug

EUPITHECIA  pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Picture
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 17-21mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - ( excluding -  Azores,Balearic Is.,Crete,Cyprus,Luxembourg,Madeira,Malta,Portugal,S Russia,Sardinia & Sicily) :  Caucasus : Transcaucasia : Urals : W.Siberia : Altai : Transbaikalia : Yakutia : Far East : N. America : Greenland (Palearctic & Nearctic regions)
UK Distribution: Well distributed and frequent where larval food plant grows in wild , particularly south and south east England,northern England,north Wales,mainland Scotland. Recorded throughout Britain where cultivated varieties are grown.
UK Conservation Status -
  • Common = > 300 10km squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena (Geometra) pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Type Species - Eupithecia
  • Phalaena absinthiata Clerck, 1759
Type Locality -
  • Austria-Near Vienna
Flight Period: South - Mid May - September - univoltine : Elsewhere - July - September - univoltine
Habitat: Moorland : Calcareous Grassland : Gardens : Parks : Plantations
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: The 18mm final instar larva is extremely variable with four distinct patterns,two in green and two in shades of brown with darker dorsal line variably marked with chevrons,blotches and lines of dark brown,red and yellow along the back and sides,the spiracular line usually white and obvious.
Pupa: Pupates in cocoon spun up among Juniper needles.
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: The moth is extremely variable with the most obvious identification mark being a short white line undulating behind the black discal spot and two sets of double black dashes located on veins behind this line and outwards towards the apex.
Background varies between whitish,particularly in Scotland, and dark brown or grey.
A whitish race was found on the cliffs in Kent near Dover in 1849 E.p.f.anglicata Herrich-Schäffer, 1863 but has not been seen since 1915 and is considered extinct.
The moth flies at dusk and is attracted easily to the light trap.
Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - EUPITHECIA:

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Forms:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometroidea
Geometridae
Larentiinae
Eupitheciini
EUPITHECIA Curtis, 1825
Eupithecia pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
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Phalaena absinthiata Clerck, 1759
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PHALAENA (Geometra) pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
= sobrinata (Hübner, 1814-17)
= Eupithecia scotica Dietze, 1910
= Eupithecia quebecata Taylor, 1910
= Eupithecia stevensata Webb, 1896
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EUPITHECIA Curtis, 1825
= Tephroclystia Hübner [1825]
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Geometra pusillata pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
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Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.110 - n.26
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Austria-Near Vienna
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E.p.scoriata Staudinger, 1857 - Iceland - almost uniformly brown
E.p.kashmirica Mironov & Ratzel, 2008 - Kashmir,Pakistan
E.p.interruptofasciata Packard, 1873 - eastern United States and Canada
E.p.pusillata - Nominate subspecies
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E.p.f.anglicata Herrich-Schäffer, 1863 - previous light coloured form from Kent last seen 1915 - extinct