Bordered Pug
Encyclopedia
The Bordered Pug is a moth
of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic
region and the Near East
.
Typically this moth has whitish forewings with broad dark grey margins but it is very variable and can be nearly all white or nearly all grey. Nevertheless, this is an easily recognisable species, mainly due to the combination of colours and its large size relative to most other pugs (wingspan
21–24 mm). The species flies at night from early June to late August and is attracted to light.
The larva
is reddish brown with black markings and usually feeds on the foliage of mugwort, although it has also been recorded feeding on Angelica
, bilberry
, tansy
and yarrow
. The species overwinters as a pupa
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
region and the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
.
Typically this moth has whitish forewings with broad dark grey margins but it is very variable and can be nearly all white or nearly all grey. Nevertheless, this is an easily recognisable species, mainly due to the combination of colours and its large size relative to most other pugs (wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
21–24 mm). The species flies at night from early June to late August and is attracted to light.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
is reddish brown with black markings and usually feeds on the foliage of mugwort, although it has also been recorded feeding on Angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...
, bilberry
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
, tansy
Tansy
Tansy is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant of the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world and in some areas has become invasive...
and yarrow
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium or yarrow is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. In New Mexico and southern Colorado, it is called plumajillo, or "little feather", for the shape of the leaves. In antiquity, yarrow was known as herbal militaris, for its use in...
. The species overwinters as a pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
.
Subspecies
There are two recognised subspecies:- Eupithecia succenturiata succenturiata
- Eupithecia succenturiata exalbidata