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Species Eupithecia miserulata - Common Eupithecia - Hodges#7474

moth - Aug. 28 - Eupithecia miserulata Moth - Eupithecia miserulata Common Eupithecia Moth - Hodges #7474 - Eupithecia miserulata Eupithecia miserulata? - Eupithecia miserulata Pug Moth ??? - Eupithecia miserulata Inchworm - Eupithecia miserulata Geometrid moth caterpillar with arrows on back eating a buttonbush flower - Eupithecia miserulata Eupithecia miserulata - Common Eupithecia?? - Eupithecia miserulata
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 miserulata (Common Eupithecia - Hodges#7474)
Hodges Number
7474
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Eupithecia miserulata Grote, 1863
Numbers
about 160 Eupithecia species are found in America north of Mexico.(1)
62 species in Canada
Size
Wingspan 12-20 mm (2), (3)
Larva to about 15 mm.
Identification
Adult: grayish to grayish brown; the pattern is usually indistinct except for the prominent discal dot,with the subterminal area varying from being concolorous with the wing to light gray or orange (in early spring specimens), and with a faint darkened spot above the outer angle. The hind wings are concolorous with the forewings, and have a small discal spot and a variably represented extradiscal line. The under surface is basically similar to the upper, but with a greater degree of variation, as the maculation varies from faint to very prominent
Specimen identified by DNA analysis:
In males, the scales can be brushed off the tail, revealing the distinct 8th sternite

Larva: Caterpillar very variable in color, but usually with a pattern of diagonal lines which commonly "join over dorsum to form arrows atop first six or seven abdominal segments." (4)
Genitalia:

Range
Nova Scotia to Florida(5), west to Texas(6), north to Ontario; also occurs in western United States from Arizona, and California(7) to Washington. (8), (9)
Season
On Block Island, RI, adults fly May through November in three or more overlapping generations.(10)
Food
Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants such as aster, clover, coneflower, hoptree, juniper, Myrica species, oak, cherry, willow. (2)
Life Cycle
Overwinters as a pupa.

Click on an image to view the life cycle:
Caterpillar Pupa Pupa Adult
Remarks
Coloration of caterpillar frequently blends with that of the food plant.
See Also
Many species of Eupithecia are similar looking and difficult to distinguish.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - photos of live and pinned adults.

distribution in Canada list of provinces (CBIF)