The wormwood pug (''Eupithecia absinthiata'') is a
moth of the family
Geometridae. The species was
first described by
Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. It is a common species across the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
region as well as North America.
The
wingspan is 21–23 mm and the forewings are warm brown with two black spots along the
costa with a black discal spot completing a distinctive triangle. There is a pale narrow line near the fringe with a distinct whitish spot near the
tornus, although this is not as prominent as in the rather similar
currant pug. The hindwings are greyish brown.ab. ''obscura'' Dietze (Kassimov, Central Russia) is much darker, the forewing described as sepia-coloured.
[Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) ''The Macrolepidoptera of the World''. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgar]
pdf *
/ref>
Adult larvae are smooth and elongated. They adapt to the basic colour of the respective food plant and are accordingly greenish, cream-colored or brownish colored and usually show a reddish-brown diamond-like pattern on the back. Sometimes light green, almost imarked specimens also appear.
The yellow-brown pupa is provided with greenish wing sheaths. At the cremaster there are eight hook bristles, the middle pair of which is strongly formed.
''Eupithecia absinthiata'' requires examination of a genital preparation for certain identification.
The species flies at night in June and July and is attracted to light.
As the name suggests, the larva feeds on the flowers of mugwort (which is sometimes called "common wormwood"), but it will also feed on the flowers of a range of other plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.
Larval food plants
*'' Achillea''
*''Aconitum
''Aconitum'' (), also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf's-bane, leopard's bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. ...
''
*'' Artemisia''
*''Aster
Aster or ASTER may refer to:
Biology
* ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants
** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English
* Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...
''
*'' Calluna'' – heather
*'' Cirsium'' – creeping thistle
''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...
*'' Erica''
*'' Eupatorium''
*'' Pimpinella'' – burnet-saxifrage
*'' Senecio''
*'' Solidago'' – goldenrod
*'' Tanacetum''
*'' Tripleurospermum'' – Mayweed
Similar species
*'' Eupithecia assimilata''.
*'' Eupithecia expallidata''
References
* Chinery, Michael (1986, reprinted 1991). ''Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe''.
* Skinner, Bernard (1984). ''The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles
''The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles (Macrolepidoptera)'' by Bernard Skinner is a single volume identification guide to the macromoths of Britain and Ireland published by Viking Books, often referred by moth recorders ...
''.
External links
*
''Fauna Europaea''''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q2415025
Eupithecia
Moths described in 1759
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Moths of North America
Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck