Galium ''Galium'' is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, occurring in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Some species are informally known as bedstraw. There are over 600 spe ...

'' species (bedstraws) are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) 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. ...

e of a number of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species:

Monophagous

Species which feed exclusively on ''Galium'' *

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metro ...

** '' Epirrhoe alternata'' (common carpet) ** '' Eulithis pyraliata'' (barred straw)

Polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

Species which feed on ''Galium'' among other plants *

** '' Eupithecia centaureata'' (lime-speck pug) ** ''

Eupithecia subfuscata The grey pug (''Eupithecia subfuscata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America. Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpil ...

'' (grey pug) ** ''

Eupithecia vulgata The common pug ''(Eupithecia vulgata)'' is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species across the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa. It ranges from the Atlantic coast of Ireland and Portugal across Europe, ...

'' (common pug) ** '' Idaea aversata'' (riband wave) ** ''

Orthonama obstipata ''Orthonama obstipata'', the gem, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It is a cosmopolitan species. In continental Europe though in the northeast, its range does not significa ...

'' (gem) – leaves ** '' Semiothisa clathrata'' (latticed heath) ** '' Xanthorhoe montanata'' (silver-ground carpet) *

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other ...

** '' Amphipyra tragopoginis'' (mouse moth) ** '' Axylia putris'' (flame) ** '' Cucullia umbratica'' (shark) – recorded on

lady's bedstraw ''Galium verum'' (lady's bedstraw or yellow bedstraw) is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kamchatka. It is ...

(''G. verum'') ** '' Eugnorisma glareosa'' (autumnal rustic) ** '' Ochropleura plecta'' (flame shoulder) ** '' Xestia xanthographa'' (square-spot rustic) *

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but ...

** '' Deilephila elpenor'' (elephant hawk-moth) ** ''

Macroglossum stellatarum The hummingbird hawk-moth (''Macroglossum stellatarum'') is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using thei ...

'' (hummingbird hawk-moth) ** '' Hyles gallii'' (bedstraw hawk-moth)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lepidoptera that feed on Galium

+Lepidoptera