Lime-speck pug
The lime-speck pug (Eupithecia centaureata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species throughout the Palearctic region (where it is found in Europe, Central Asia, Mongolia, southern Siberia, eastern China (Guangdong) and Taiwan[2]), the Near East and North Africa.
| Lime-speck pug | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Eupithecia |
| Species: | E. centaureata |
| Binomial name | |
| Eupithecia centaureata | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
This is a distinctive species, all the wings being largely white except for a black blotch on the costa of the forewing. The wingspan is 20–24 mm. Often two broods are produced each year and the adults can be seen at any time during the summer and autumn. The moths fly at night and are attracted to light and nectar-rich flowers.
The larva is rather variable but is usually green or yellow, often with red markings. It feeds on the flowers of a variety of plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.
Larval food plants
- Achillea – yarrow
- Angelica
- Arctium – burdock
- Artemisia
- Calluna – heather
- Campanula
- Centaurea
- Cirsium – thistle
- Crambe
- Filipendula – meadowsweet
- Galium – bedstraw
- Hieracium – hawkweed
- Lotus – bird's-foot trefoil
- Lysimachia – yellow loosestrife
- Matricaria – mayweed
- Medicago – alfalfa
- Pimpinella – burnet saxifrage
- Rumex – sorrel
- Selinum – milk-parsley
- Silene – bladder campion
- Solidago – goldenrod
- Tanacetum – tansy
- Trifolium – red clover
- Vicia – tufted vetch
References
- Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Eupithecia centaureata (Denis & Schiffermuller 1775)". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
- Mironov, V.G. & A.C. Galsworthy, 2007: The genus Eupithecia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in Taiwan: an updated survey. Trans. lepid. Soc. Japan. 58 (3): 341–363.
- 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)
External links
Media related to Eupithecia centaureata at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Eupithecia centaureata at Wikispecies- Lepiforum.de