Mottled pug

Mottled pug
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Eupithecia
Species:	E. exiguata
Binomial name
Eupithecia exiguata (Hübner, 1813)
Synonyms
Geometra exiguata Hubner, 1813 Eupithecia lanceolaria Wood, 1854 Eupithecia ochreata Stephens, 1831 Phalaena trimaculata Haworth, 1809

The mottled pug (Eupithecia exiguata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region apart from around the Mediterranean Sea. It is common in the British Isles apart from Scotland where it is rather local.

The wingspan is 20–22 mm and the forewings are brown marked with pale radial lines and a black discal spot. The hindwings are cream or grey also with a discal spot. The species flies at night in May and June and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers.

The larva feeds on the foliage of various trees and shrubs (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa.

Subspecies

• Eupithecia exiguata exiguata
• Eupithecia exiguata muricolor Prout, 1938

Recorded food plants

• Acer – Sycamore
• Berberis
• Crataegus – Hawthorn
• Lonicera – Honeysuckle
• Malus – Apple
• Prunus
• Ribes – Redcurrant
• Sorbus – Rowan

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