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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths (Geometroidea) » Geometrid Moths (Geometridae) » Larentiinae » Eupitheciini » Eupithecia » Eupithecia jejunata - Hodges#7486 (Eupithecia jejunata)

Species Eupithecia jejunata - Hodges#7486

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Identification · Range · Season · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Eupithecia species? - Eupithecia jejunata

Eupithecia jejunata - Hodges#7486 - Eupithecia jejunata - female

Eupithecia jejunata - Hodges#7486 - Eupithecia jejunata - male

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Geometroidea (Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths)

Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)

Subfamily Larentiinae

Tribe Eupitheciini

Genus Eupithecia

Species jejunata (Eupithecia jejunata - Hodges#7486)

Hodges Number

7486

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Eupithecia jejunata McDunnough, 1949 (1)

Identification

Eupithecia is a difficult group with many similar species that often require dissection for identification. Many undescribed species are known.

In Texas and across at least part of the South, the thoracic and abdominal patterns of Swift Pug help separate the species from most of the more common Eupithecia's. Elements to look for include the following:

-- Relatively uniform buff thorax with an arching black band in basal area ("collar") and narrower black band at rear margin.

-- Immediately behind the rear black band on thorax is a small white patch which is recognizably paler than the middle of the thorax.

-- Most abdominal segments have a small black dot in the rear center of the segment, usually set in a vague pale line down the center of the abdomen.

Also:

-- The narrow subterminal white line on the FW is nearly complete from costal to inner margin; it may show a small thickening in the lower part but not as conspicuous a white spot as Common Eupithecia. This pale subterminal line usually has two dusky patches on its inner margin.

-- A pale band just distal to the dark PM line is often the "cleanest" (most conspicuous) of the pale areas crossing the wing. It can have a thin dark line bisecting it.

Most of these marks are recognizable in the above Florida example and the following examples from Alabama and Texas:

Range

Texas and Missouri to North Carolina and Florida. (2) Massachusetts (2019)

Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.

Season

Most records of adults are from March to June. (3)

Florida records are from January to April; November. (2)

See Also

Eupithecia swettii, which it is often confused with in Texas. (1)

Compare to others on the archived photos of living moths and pinned plates of Moth Photographers Group.

Print References

Blanchard, A., & E.C. Knudson 1985. The Eupithecia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) of Texas with the description of a new species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 87: 666. (1)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (3)

Butterflies and moths of North America (BAMONA) (4)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (5)

Moths of Maryland

Works Cited

1.	The Eupithecia (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) of Texas, with the description of a new species A. Blanchard, E. C. Knudson . 1985. Proceedings of The Entomological Society of Washington 87: 662-674.

2.	Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas: Lepidoptera of Florida J.B. Heppner. 2003. Florida Department of Agriculture 17(1): 1-670.

3.	North American Moth Photographers Group

4.	Butterflies of North America

5.	BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems

Contributed by Maury J. Heiman on 12 March, 2013 - 7:33pm
Additional contributions by Chuck Sexton, JoAnneRusso
Last updated 2 December, 2021 - 10:56am

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