Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...

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 appropriat ...

are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of a number of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species, including:

Monophagous

Species which feed exclusively on ''Vaccinium'' *

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. glitzella'' – only on

lingonberry ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'', the lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry, is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family Ericaceae, that bears edible fruit. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Norther ...

(''V. vitis-idaea'') *** '' C. idaeella'' – only on lingonberry (''V. vitis-idaea'') *** '' C. murinella'' *** '' C. uliginosella'' – only on bog bilberry (''V. uliginosum'') *** '' C. vaccinivorella'' *** '' C. vitisella'' – only on lingonberry (''V. vitis-idaea'')

Polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

Species which feed on ''Vaccinium'' and other plants *

** Several ''

'' case-bearer species: *** '' C. plumbella'' – recorded on bog bilberry (''V. uliginosum'') *** '' C. vacciniella'' *

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 viduella ''Chionodes viduella'' is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic region and Russia. It is also found in nor ...

'' – recorded on bog bilberry (''V. uliginosum'') *

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 ...

** '' Alcis repandata'' (mottled beauty) ** ''

Chloroclysta truncata The common marbled carpet (''Dysstroma truncata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus '' Chloroclysta''. It is very common throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East. The species was first describ ...

'' (common marbled carpet) ** ''

Crocallis elinguaria The scalloped oak (''Crocallis elinguaria'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distribution This common species can be found from Europe to e ...

'' (scalloped oak) ** ''

Ectropis crepuscularia The engrailed and small engrailed (''Ectropis crepuscularia'') are moths of the family Geometridae found from the British Isles through central and eastern Europe to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan. The western Mediterranean and Asia Mi ...

'' (engrailed) ** ''

Epirrita autumnata The autumnal moth (''Epirrita autumnata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen in 1794. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and has a much wider distr ...

'' (autumnal moth) ** '' Eupithecia succenturiata'' (bordered pug) – recorded on

bilberry Bilberries (), or sometimes European blueberries, are a primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus '' Vaccinium'' (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, dark blue berries. The species most often referred to is ''Vaccinium myrti ...

(''V. myrtillus'') ** ''

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) – recorded on bilberry (''V. myrtillus'') ** '' Itame argillacearia'' (blueberry spanworm) – recorded on

lowbush blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus '' Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries ...

(''V. angustifolium'') and others ** ''

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 was ...

'' (common emerald) ** '' Odontopera bidentata'' (scalloped hazel) – recorded on bilberry (''V. myrtillus'') *

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other ...

** '' Diarsia mendica'' (ingrailed clay) ** '' Diarsia rubi'' (small square-spot) ** '' Melanchra persicariae'' (dot moth) – recorded on bilberry (''V. myrtillus'') ** '' Orthosia gothica'' (Hebrew character) – recorded on bilberry (''V. myrtillus'') ** '' Xestia c-nigrum'' (setaceous Hebrew character) * Pyralidae ** '' Endotricha flammealis'' *

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

** '' Pavonia pavonia'' (emperor moth)

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. , name-list-style=amp , date=2010 , url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?&PGenus=Vaccinium&sort=Family , title=Hostplant Genus: ''Vaccinium'' , 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 ...

+Lepidoptera