'' Artemisia''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

(wormwoods, mugworts and sagebrushes) are used as food plants by the caterpillars of a number of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), including:

Monophagous

Species which feed exclusively on ''Artemisia'' - they are

monophagous A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet). A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of e ...

* Bucculatricidae ** Several ''

Bucculatrix Bucculatricidae or (Bucculatrigidae) is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae. Adults of this family are easily overlooked, bein ...

'' leaf-miner species: *** '' B. absinthii'' *** '' B. andalusica'' *** '' B. artemisiella'' *** '' B. atagina'' – only on

field wormwood ''Artemisia campestris'' is a common and widespread species of plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It is native to a wide region of Eurasia and North America. Common names include field wormwood, beach wormwood, northern wormwood, Breck ...

(''A. campestris'') *** '' B. benacicolella'' – only on '' A. alba'' *** '' B. canariensis'' – only on '' A. canariensis'' *** '' B. diffusella'' – only on sea wormwood (''A. maritima'') *** '' B. herbalbella'' – only on white wormwood (''A. herba-alba'') *** '' B. koebelella'' – only on

California sagebrush ''Artemisia californica'', also known as California sagebrush, is a species of western North American shrub in the sunflower family. Description ''Artemisia californica'' branches from the base and grows out from there, becoming rounded; it gro ...

(''A. californica'') *** '' B. laciniatella'' – only on Siberian wormwood ('' A. laciniata'') *** '' B. leptalea'' – only on

tarragon Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes ...

(''A. dranunculus'') *** '' B. noltei'' – only on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') *** '' B. pannonica'' – only on sea wormwood (''A. maritima'') *** '' B. ratisbonensis'' – only on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' B. salutatoria'' – only on common sagebrush (''A. tridentata'') *** '' B. seorsa'' – only on common sagebrush (''A. tridentata'') *** '' B. tridenticola'' – only on common sagebrush (''A. tridentata'') *

Coleophoridae __NOTOC__ The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are foun ...

** Several ''

Coleophora ''Coleophora'' is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae. It contains some 1,350 described species. The genus is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions. Many authors ...

'' case-bearer species: *** '' C. absinthii'' – only on absinth wormwood (''A. absinthium'') *** '' C. amentastra'' – only on '' A. turanica'' *** '' C. artemisicolella'' – only on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') *** '' C. artemisiella'' – only on sea wormwood (''A. maritima'') *** '' C. directella'' – only on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. dubiella'' *** '' C. granulatella'' – only on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. guttella'' – only on ''A. turanica'' *** '' C. polynella'' – only on ''A. turanica'' *** '' C. settarii'' – only on '' A. crithmifolia'' *** '' C. solenella'' – only on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. succursella'' – only on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. yomogiella'' *** '' C. zhusani'' – only on ''A. turanica'' * Noctuidae ** ''

Schinia accessa ''Schinia accessa'' is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Texas, southern Arizona, Colorado and Mexico.Schinia cumatilis'' (silver-banded gem) – only on fringed sagebrush ('' A. frigida'') ** '' Schinia nuchalis'' (spotted clover moth) – on field wormwood (''A. campestris''), tarragon (''A. dracunculus'') and possibly others

Polyphagous

Species which feed on ''Artemisia'' and other plants - they are polyphagous * Bucculatricidae ** Several ''

'' leaf-miner species: *** '' B. arnicella'' – recorded on common sagebrush (''A. tridentata'') *** '' B. fatigatella'' – recorded on

(''A. campestris'') *

** Several ''

'' case-bearer species: *** '' C. albicella'' – recorded on '' A. caerulescens'' *** '' C. caelebipennella'' – recorded on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. ditella'' – recorded on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *** '' C. gardesanella'' *** '' C. kurokoi'' – recorded on Japanese mugwort (''A. princeps'') *** '' C. trochilella'' – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') *** '' C. vibicigerella'' *

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...

** '' Dolicharthria punctalis'' – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') *

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable d ...

** ''

Chionodes distinctella ''Chionodes distinctella'', the eastern groundling, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in almost all of Europe (except Croatia), as well as most of Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and North Africa. The habitat consists of dry, roc ...

'' – recorded on field wormwood (''A. campestris'') *

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metro ...

** ''

Chloroclystis v-ata The v-pug (''Chloroclystis v-ata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa. It is well distributed in the British Isles except for the north of Scotland. The species was ...

'' (V-pug) – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') ** '' Eupithecia absinthiata'' (wormwood pug) ** '' Eupithecia centaureata'' (lime-speck pug) ** '' Eupithecia icterata'' (tawny speckled pug) ** ''

Eupithecia subfuscata The grey pug (''Eupithecia subfuscata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America. Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpill ...

'' (grey pug) ** ''

Eupithecia succenturiata The bordered pug (''Eupithecia succenturiata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found across the Palearctic region. In the Pyrenees, the species can be found up to an altitude of 1800 metres. It prefers steppe areas, open bushy terrain ...

'' (bordered pug) – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') ** ''

Eupithecia vulgata The common pug ''(Eupithecia vulgata)'' is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species across the Palearctic region, including the Near East and North Africa. It ranges from the Atlantic coast of Ireland and Portugal across Europe, ...

'' (common pug) ** ''

Hemithea aestivaria The common emerald (''Hemithea aestivaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found throughout the Nearctic and Palearctic regions and the Near East. It is mostly commonly found in the southern half of the British Isles. It w ...

'' (common emerald) ** ''

Odontopera bidentata The scalloped hazel (''Odontopera bidentata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Distribution It is a common species of northern and central Europe including the British Is ...

'' (scalloped hazel) – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') * Noctuidae ** ''

Agrotis exclamationis The heart and dart (''Agrotis exclamationis'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. A familiar moth to many, it is considered one of the most commo ...

'' (heart and dart) ** ''

Amphipyra tragopoginis The mouse moth (''Amphipyra tragopoginis'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a widespread species with a Holarctic distribution. Distribution Europe (except the extreme north, and not occurring in the south of Spain, Sicily, or the Balka ...

'' (mouse moth) – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') ** ''

Antitype chi The grey chi (; ''Antitype chi'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is distributed throughout Europe, although it is not present in southern S ...

'' (grey chi) – recorded on common wormwood (''A. vulgaris'') ** ''

Naenia typica The Gothic (''Naenia typica'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is distributed in temperate Eurasia, in the Palearctic realm, including Europ ...

'' (Gothic)

External links

*{{cite web , last1=Robinson , first1=Gaden S. , last2=Ackery , first2=Phillip R. , last3=Kitching , first3=Ian J. , last4=Beccaloni , first4=George W. , last5=Hernández , first5=Luis M. , date=2010 , url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?&PGenus=Artemisia&sort=Family , title=Hostplant Genus: ''Artemisia'' , website=HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants , publisher=

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

Artemisia .Lepidoptera