Small juniper pods

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Small juniper pods
Small juniper moth (Eupithecia pusillata), gray color variant

Small juniper moth ( Eupithecia pusillata ),
gray color variant

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Spanner (Geometridae)
Subfamily : Larentiinae
Genre : Moth ( Eupithecia )
Type : Small juniper pods
Scientific name
Eupithecia pusillata
( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775)
brown color variant

The Small Juniper Pug ( Eupithecia pusillata ) ( synonym : Eupithecia sobrinata ), sometimes Gray Juniper Pug called, is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the tensioner (Geometridae). The specific epithet is based on the Latin word pusillus meaning "tiny". Compared to an average moths, the moths are small, within the genus of Pug ( Eupithecia ) but their size is quite common and appropriate.

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 16 to 22 millimeters. The basic color of all wings varies from light gray to brownish. The large, black, elongated discoidal spot on the upper side of the forewing, which is often lined with whitish outwardly, is striking . The disk region is usually bordered by dark brown bandages, the outer of which is sometimes dissolved in wedge lines. Occasionally there are strongly brownish, darkened specimens that are almost monochrome and in which the drawing elements are only indistinctly different.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars are smooth and slender. They have a pale green to grass green or brownish color and show yellowish segment incisions. In most specimens, large dark brown to reddish brown spots stand out on the back, which sometimes end in dark trident. The side stripes are whitish. The green shapes with the white side stripes are similar to the juniper needles of the food plant, which means that predators hardly notice them. The brown shapes resemble dried-up needles and dry branches, which means that their color is also barely visible.

Doll

The yellow-brown pupa is provided with green wing sheaths. There are eight hooked bristles on the short cremaster , of which the middle pair is a little stronger.

Similar species

In Eupithecia ericeata , the dark brown bands surrounding the discal region on the upper side of the forewings are more powerful and distinctive. A reliable determination is possible with flown specimens by means of a genital morphological examination.

Distribution and occurrence

The distribution of the species extends through Europe and further east through temperate Asia to Kamchatka and Sakhalin . In Iceland it is represented by the subspecies E. pusillata scoriata , in Pakistan and Kashmir by E. pusillata kashmirica and in North America by E. pusillata interruptofasciata .

The juniper moth prefers to colonize juniper heath landscapes, grasslands, mountain slopes and forest edges, but is also found in cemeteries and in urban areas. In the mountains it rises to heights of 2500 meters.

Way of life

The main flight time of the crepuscular and nocturnal moths falls from July to September. They are easily attracted by artificial light sources . Flower visits by the moths were observed on oregano ( Origanum vulgare ) and bed herbs ( Galium ). The eggs are laid on the shoot tips of juniper branches. The egg caterpillar hibernates fully developed in the egg. The caterpillars hatch in May and feed on young needles and the flowers of the common juniper ( Juniperus communis ) until pupation in July .

Danger

The juniper moth is mostly widespread in the individual federal states in Germany and occurs in large numbers in certain areas and is classified as “not endangered” on the Red List of Endangered Species .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnold Spuler: The butterflies of Europe. Volume 2, E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1910, p. 71.
  2. ↑ a b c Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World . In: Axel Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe . 1st edition. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, ISBN 87-88757-40-4 , pp. 140-142 (English).
  3. ↑ Walter Forster , Theodor A. Wohlfahrt : The butterflies of Central Europe. Volume 5: Spanner. (Geometridae). Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-440-04951-5 , pp. 188-189.
  4. ↑ Markku Savela: Tanaecia Butler (1869) - distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved October 19, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke, Bernd Müller: We determine butterflies. Volume 4: Spanner. 2nd, improved and enlarged edition. Neumann, Leipzig / Radebeul 1976, DNB 780451570 , pp. 182-183.
  6. ^ Karl Cleve: The butterflies of West Berlin. In: Berliner Naturschutzblätter. Volksbund Naturschutz e. V., Volume 22, No. 63, 1978, p. 365.
  7. ↑ a b c Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 , p. 256-258 .
  8. ↑ Endangerment

literature

  • Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World . In: Axel Hausmann (Ed.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe . 1st edition. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini . Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, ISBN 87-88757-40-4 (English).
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The butterflies of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 9. Moths VII. Geometridae 2nd part . 1st edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2003, ISBN 3-8001-3279-6 .

Web links

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