Geometridae : Larentiinae
Juniper Pug
EUPITHECIA pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Juniper Pug
EUPITHECIA pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
Life Cycle Guide
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 -
Habitat: Moorland : Calcareous Grassland : Gardens : Parks : Plantations
Similar Species -
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.
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
- Least Concern
- Phalaena (Geometra) pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)
- Phalaena absinthiata Clerck, 1759
- Austria-Near Vienna
Habitat: Moorland : Calcareous Grassland : Gardens : Parks : Plantations
Similar Species -
- None
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.
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.
- Asteraceae - Compositae - Aster-Daisy - Sunflower Family
- Helianthus decapetalus - Thinleaf Sunflower
- Cupressaceae - Cypress Family
- Cryptomeria japonica - Japanese Cedar, Sugi
- Juniperus communis - Juniper
- Juniperus scopulorum - Rocky Mountain Juniper
- Thuja plicata - Western Red Cedar
- Grossulariaceae - Currant Family
- Ribes rubrum - Redcurrant
- Rosaceae - The Rose Family
- Fragaria chiloensis - Beach Strawberry, Pacific beach strawberry
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Rubus idaeus - Raspberry - Framboise
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - EUPITHECIA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Genus Names: Nominotypical Subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: Forms: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Geometroidea Geometridae Larentiinae Eupitheciini EUPITHECIA Curtis, 1825 Eupithecia pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - Phalaena absinthiata Clerck, 1759 - PHALAENA (Geometra) pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) = sobrinata (Hübner, 1814-17) = Eupithecia scotica Dietze, 1910 = Eupithecia quebecata Taylor, 1910 = Eupithecia stevensata Webb, 1896 - EUPITHECIA Curtis, 1825 = Tephroclystia Hübner [1825] - Geometra pusillata pusillata ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) - Ankündung eines systematischen Werkes von den Schmetterlingen der Wienergegend : Title Page : p.110 - n.26 - Austria-Near Vienna - 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 - E.p.f.anglicata Herrich-Schäffer, 1863 - previous light coloured form from Kent last seen 1915 - extinct |