| Eupithecia | |
|---|---|
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| Eupithecia innotata | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Subfamily: | Larentiinae |
| Tribe: | Eupitheciini |
| Genus: | Eupithecia Curtis, 1825[1] |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Eupithecia is the largestgenus ofmoths of the familyGeometridae,[3] and the namesake and type genus of tribe Eupitheciini. Species in the genus are, like those of other genera in the tribe, commonly known aspugs.[4] The genus is highly speciose, with over 1400 species, and members of the genus are present in most of the world with exception ofAustralasia.[3] Roughly a quarter of describedEupithecia species occur in theNeotropical realm, where they have an especially high species diversity in themontane rain forests of theAndes.[5] The genus includes a few agricultural pest species, such as the currant pug moth,Eupithecia assimilata, which is a pest onhops,[6] and the cloaked pug moth,Eupithecia abietaria, which is a cone pest in spruce seed orchards.[7]
Adult specimens ofEupithecia are typically small, often between 12 and 35 mm, with muted colours, and display a large amount of uniformity between species.[3] As a result, identification of a specimen as part of genusEupithecia is generally easy, but identifying the exact species is difficult and often reliant on examination of the dissected genitals.[3] Most species share a characteristic resting pose in which the forewings are held flat at a right angle to the body—that is, thecostal margins of both forewings form a more-or-less horizontal line—while the hindwings are largely covered by the forewings.[8] They are generally nocturnal.[3]
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Of the species where the larval behaviour is known, most feed from theflowers andseeds of their food plants rather than thefoliage.[3] Many species have a very specific food plant. The larvae of all but one[9] of the endemic species ofEupithecia fromHawaii are ambush predators of a wide variety of insects and spiders.[10] These ambush predators haveraptorial legs, with which they grab prey that comes into contact with their hind end.[10]
This is a list of all described species.
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| Other | |
