Bordered White

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Bordered White
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Bupalus
Species: B. piniaria
Binomial name
Bupalus piniaria
Linnaeus, 1758

The Bordered White (Bupalus piniaria), also known as the Pine Looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species of coniferous woodland throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa.

This is a variable species with strong sexual dimorphism. The male has wings varying from white to deep yellow with broad brown borders. The female is plainer, varying from yellow to brown. The wingspan is 34-40 mm. The adults fly in May and June, sometimes later in the north of the range.

The larva is green with pale lines and usually feeds on various species of pine, especially Scots Pine and European Black Pine, although it has also been recorded feeding on Douglas-fir, larch and spruce. This species can be a serious pest in conifer plantations. It overwinters as a pupa.

[edit] Subspecies

  • B. p. bernieri
  • B. p. espagnolus
  • B. p. piniaria

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
  • Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
  • Fauna Europaea