Tawny Speckled Pug

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tawny Speckled Pug
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Geometridae Genus: Eupithecia Species: E. icterata
Binomial name
Eupithecia icterata de Villers, 1789

The Tawny Speckled Pug (Eupithecia icterata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa.

Unlike many pugs this species is distinctively marked, the brown forewings marked with a large tawny-orange panel (although some races lack this). The hindwings are greyish brown. It is among the larger species in the genus with a wingspan of 20-24 mm. It flies at night in July and August ^[1] and is attracted to light and some flowers.

The larva is reddish brown with a pale line down each side. It usually feeds on the leaves and flowers of yarrow and has also been recorded on Artemisia and tansy. The species overwinters as a pupa.

1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

[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