''Eupithecia dodoneata'', the oak-tree pug, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Geometridae. The species can be found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Local occurrences are found in Asia Minor, the Caucasus as well as in Morocco. In the Pyrenees and the Alps, it rises to altitudes of 1000 metres. The species prefers dry oak and oak mixed forests.Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World. In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe''. 1. Auflage. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 19–22 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is usually light grey, sometimes slightly brownish on dusted. There are several dark grey crosslines are wavy and often in pairs. The outer cross line near the front edge with a sharp, inward-pointing V. The midfield is brighter in some specimens and framed by a thin dark band. The black median stain has an oval shape. The hind wings are slightly lighter than the forewings and have also several dark designs and a small black middle spot. Adult caterpillars are brownish and show on the back very clear reddish-brown triangular spots, the tip of which is directed forward. The pupa is coloured black-brown and equipped with two strong and six thin hook bristles on the cremaster. A reliable determination should be made by specialists, and a genital morphological analysis is also recommended for a certain assignment. The moths flies from May to June depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''

Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...

'' and ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'' species.

Subspecies

*''Eupithecia dodoneata dodoneata'' *''Eupithecia dodoneata austrina'' Herbulot, 1962

Similar species

*''

Eupithecia abbreviata The brindled pug (''Eupithecia abbreviata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae found in Europe including the British Isles as well as further east to the Baltic States, Armenia, Turkey and the Caucasus. South it reaches North Africa. Descripti ...

References

External links

Oak-tree Pug on UKmothsLepiforum.de
Moths described in 1857 dodoneata Moths of Europe Taxa named by Achille Guenée {{Eupithecia-stub