Currant pug

Currant Pug
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Eupithecia
Species:	E. assimilata
Binomial name
Eupithecia assimilata Doubleday, 1856
Synonyms
Tephroclystia fumosa Hulst, 1896 Eupithecia fumosa Eupithecia grisescens Dietze, 1910

The Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East.

This species is rather similar to the Wormwood Pug, with warm brown forewings and a triangle of black spots close to the costa, but can be recognized by its broader wings and a more prominent white spot close to the tornus. The wingspan is 17–22 mm. Two broods are produced each year with adults on the wing in May and June and again in August.

The larva, as the name suggests, feeds on currant, but will also feed on hop. The species overwinters as a pupa.

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)