''Eupithecia venosata'', the netted pug, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

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 ''metr ...

, first described by the Danish

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoology, zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, an ...

in 1787. It is found across the

Palearctic realm 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-Si ...

from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

in the west to the

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, I ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in the east.

Description

The length of the forewings is 10–14 mm. The ground colour of the forewings and hindwings is brown to creamy white The forewings are large and round. Several light, black-edged, lines and the partly black coloured veins form a characteristic lattice. The hindwings have a similar, but greatly weakened pattern. Very strongly resembles ''

Eupithecia schiefereri ''Eupithecia schiefereri'' is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found from North Africa through central Spain, southern France, the central and southern Alps, Italy and the southern Balkan Peninsula to eastern Turkey and northern Iran. The ...

'' and is distinguishable from this clearly only by means of a genital examination.

Forma

''fumosae'' Gregson (= ''nubilata'' Bohatsch, ''grisea'' Dietze) is a dark smoke-coloured race from the Shetland Islands. — In ab. bandanae Gregson the white bands remain conspicuous on the smoky ground. Among ''fumosae''. — ''ochracae'' Gregson (= ''orcadensis'' Prout) also has the ground-colour darkened, but ochreous or clay-yellowish, not smoky; markings normal or sometimes weakened as in ''fumosae'' Orkney Islands.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
See subspecies. The larva is pale pinkish grey, darker on the back, with scattered, upstanding brushes. The pupa is shiny brown-yellow with a dark brown cremaster, which has at the base five beaded elevations and a stretched tip with several bristles.

Biology

The moth flies from April to June depending on the location. 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. Th ...

e feed spun up on campion (''

Silene ''Silene'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion and catchfly. Many ''Silene'' species are widely distributed, particularl ...

'' species), preferably bladder campion (''

Silene vulgaris ''Silene vulgaris'', the bladder campion or maidenstears, is a plant species of the genus '' Silene'' of the family '' Caryophyllaceae''. It is native to Europe, where in some parts it is eaten, but is also widespread in North America, where i ...

''), red campion (''

Silene dioica ''Silene dioica'' (syn. ''Melandrium rubrum''), known as red campion and red catchfly, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native throughout central, western and northern Europe, and locally in southern Europe. It has b ...

'') and sea campion (''

Silene maritima ''Silene uniflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name sea campion. Description ''Silene uniflora'' is a herbaceous perennial plant, similar in appearance to the bladder campion (''Silene vulga ...

'').The pupa hibernates sometimes for two winters

Subspecies

* ''Eupithecia venosata venosata'' * ''Eupithecia venosata fumosae'' Gregson, 1887 * ''Eupithecia venosata hebridensis'' Curtis, 1944 * ''Eupithecia venosata ochracae'' Gregson, 1886 * ''Eupithecia venosata plumbea'' Huggins, 1962

References

External links

Netted Pug on ''UKMoths''

''Lepiforum e.V.''

''De Vlinderstichting''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1310688 venosata Moths described in 1787 Moths of Africa Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius