Eupithecia
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 Eupithecia innotata
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Eupithecia is a large genus of moths of the family Geometridae. There are hundreds of described species, found in all parts of the world, and new species are discovered on a regular basis.
Eupithecia species form the bulk of the group commonly known as pugs. They are generally small with muted colours and specific identification can be difficult. As a group they are easily identified by their narrow wings held flat at 90° to the body with the hindwings almost hidden behind the forewings.
The larvae of many species feed on the flowers and seeds of their food plants rather than the foliage. Many species have a very specific food plant. Some Hawai'ian Eupithecia are predators of other insects (E. orichloris, E. staurophragma, E. scoriodes). They mimic twigs but when sensitive hairs on their backs are triggered, they quickly grab the insects touching them. The defensive behavior of snapping may have pre-adapted Hawai'i's ancestral Eupithecia for shifting to predation from feeding on pollen. Also, insect predators that behave in this way are lacking in Hawai'i's fauna.
44 species are resident in the British Isles:
- Slender Pug (E. tenuiata)
- Maple Pug (E. inturbata)
- Haworth's Pug (E. haworthiata)
- Lead-coloured Pug (E. plumbeolata)
- Cloaked Pug (E. abietara)
- Toadflax Pug (E. linariata)
- Foxglove Pug (E. pulchellata)
- Marbled Pug (E. irriguata)
- Mottled Pug (E. exiguata)
- Pinion-spotted Pug (E. insigniata)
- Valerian Pug (E. valerianata)
- Marsh Pug (E. pygmaeata)
- Netted Pug (E. venosata)
- Pauper Pug (E. egenaria)
- Lime-speck Pug (E. centaureata)
- Triple-spotted Pug (E. trisignaria)
- Freyer's Pug (E. intricata)
- Satyr Pug (E. satyrata)
- Wormwood Pug (E. absinthiata)
- Ling Pug (E. goossensiata)
- Currant Pug (E. assimilata)
- Bleached Pug (E. expallidata)
- Common Pug (E. vulgata)
- White-spotted Pug (E. tripunctaria)
- Campanula Pug (E. denotata)
- Grey Pug (E. subfuscata)
- Tawny Speckled Pug (E. icterata)
- Bordered Pug (E. succenturiata)
- Shaded Pug (E. subumbrata)
- Yarrow Pug (E. millefoliata)
- Plain Pug (E. simpliciata)
- Thyme Pug (E. distinctaria)
- Ochreous Pug (E. indigata)
- Pimpinel Pug (E. pimpinellata)
- Narrow-winged Pug (E. nanata)
- Scarce Pug (E. extensaria)
- Ash Pug (E. fraxinata)
- Golden-rod Pug (E. virgaureata)
- Brindled Pug (E. abbreviata)
- Oak-tree Pug (E. dodoneata)
- Juniper Pug (E. pusillata)
- Cypress Pug (E. phoeniceata)
- Larch Pug (E. lariciata)
- Dwarf Pug (E. tantillaria)
[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
Montgomery, SL 1983. Carnivorous caterpillars: the behavior, biogeography and conservation of Eupithecia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in the Hawaiian Islands. GeoJournal 7 (6): 549-556. DOI: 10.1007/BF00218529
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