GEOMETRIDAE | Larentiinae | Eupitheciini

70.179 Eupithecia absinthiata (Wormwood Pug)

fw: 11-13mm; Jun-Jul*; various Asteraceae; common in England, Wales and lowland Scotland
* Not mentioned in Waring or at UK Moths - but there is clearly a regular 2nd generation in the south in Aug and in 2014 I obtained one on Sep 12th in NW Scotland.
Picture
Eupithecia absinthiata (Wormwood Pug) §1
ID: forewing unbanded reddish-brown with conspicuous black spots on costa; conspicuous rounded, oval or somewhat elongate black central spot; conspicuous white tornal spot; black band on dorsum at base of abdomen (mostly S2). E.goossensiata considered a subspecies until 2011 (but not accepted as such until 2nd edition of RES checklist 2024) averages smaller and greyer. E.assimilata (Currant Pug) shows a similar forewing pattern; it averages smaller (fw 9-12mm); has a less elongate, more rounded forewing, with a very prominent white tornal spot. E.tripunctaria (White-spotted Pug) is greyer and more banded with cross-lines and it usually shows a distinctive pattern of white spots on the forewing, hindwing, thorax and abdomen. E.trisignaria (Triple-spotted Pug) lacks a white tornal spot. E.expallidata (Bleached Pug) is paler, has a strong elongate central spot and usually a weak pale tornal spot; like E.absinthiata it shows a black band on the abdomen.
  • Variation
  • Dissection
  • Male genitalia
  • Female genitalia
<
>
§1 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 01/09/2007; fw 11.5mm
§2 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 23/08/2011; male; fw 11.1mm
§3 Westcliff-on-sea, Essex; 23/08/2011; female; fw 12.5mm
§4 Foulness, Essex; 30/06/2013; female; fw 12.3mm
§5 Mull; 21/06/2018; male; fw 11.0mm
​§6 Foulness, Essex; 24/08/2019; female; fw 11.4mm; to light
​§7 St Mary's, Isles of Scilly; 20/06/2022; female; fw 11.6mm
All images © Chris Lewis
Page published 12/04/2013 (§1-4) | §5 added 22/04/2019 | §6 added 09/09/2019 | §7 added 02/12/2022