Grey Pug

Taxobox
name = Grey Pug
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
familia = Geometridae
genus = "Eupithecia"
species = "E. subfuscata"
binomial = "Eupithecia subfuscata"
binomial_authority = Haworth, 1809The Grey Pug "(Eupithecia subfuscata)" is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East.

The forewings of this species are grey marked with pale fascia and radial lines which give it a mottled appearance. The hindwings are much paler and plainer. Melanism is quite common in this species. The wingspan is 17-21 mm. The adults fly in May and June with a second brood sometimes emerging in August ref|flight_season. The species flies at night and is attracted to light.

The larva feeds on the leaves and flowers of a wide range of plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.

#Note|flight_season"The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range."

Recorded food plants

*"Abies" - Fir
*"Achillea"
*"Aegopodium" - Ground-elder
*"Alnus" - Alder
*"Angelica"
*"Artemisia"
*"Betula" - Birch
*"Centaurea"
*"Cirsium" - Creeping Thistle
*"Comptonia" - Sweetfern
*"Epilobium" - Willowherb
*"Filipendula" - Meadowsweet
*"Galium" - Bedstraw
*"Hypericum" - St John's Wort
*"Larix" - Larch
*"Lysimachia" - Yellow Loosestrife
*"Malus" - Apple
*"Ononis" - Restharrow
*"Picea" - Black Spruce
*"Populus" - Poplar
*"Rubus" - Raspberry
*"Salix" - Willow
*"Scabiosa"
*"Solidago" - Goldenrod
*"Tanacetum" - Tansy
*"Urtica" - Nettle
*"Valeriana" - Valerian

References

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