''Eupithecia extensaria'', the scarce pug, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyleti ...

. The species was first described by Christian Friedrich Freyer in 1844. It is found in the British Isles (rare, and confined to eastern saltmarshes), Spain and eastern Europe. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 21–25 mm. The moth flies in both May and June. The larvae feed on sea wormwood (''

Artemisia maritima ''Artemisia maritima'' is a European species of wormwood known as sea wormwood, and also formerly often by its synonym ''Seriphidium maritimum''.Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ''Collins Flower Guide''. Harper Co ...

''). Wikisource:The Moths of the British Isles Second Series/Chapter 9#238

Subspecies

*''Eupithecia extensaria extensaria'' *''Eupithecia extensaria leuca'' Dietze, 1910 *''Eupithecia extensaria occidua'' Prout, 1914

References

extensaria Moths described in 1844 Moths of Europe {{Eupithecia-stub