Eupithecia placidata is a moth in the family Geometridae first described by Taylor in 1908. It is found in western North America from British Columbia south to California.

Eupithecia placidata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Eupithecia
Species:
E. placidata
Binomial name
Eupithecia placidata
Taylor, 1908[1][2]

The wingspan is about 20 mm. The forewings have a greyish ground color with rather obscure maculation apart from two black crosslines.[3] Adults have been recorded on wing from February to October.

The larvae feed on Juniperus scopulorum, Juniperus communis, Thuja plicata, Populus balsamifera trichocarpa, Pinus strobus, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca, Abies lasiocarpa, Tsuga heterophylla and Betula papyrifera. The larvae are twig mimics. They are rusty brown with a greenish-brown head. Full-grown larvae reach a length of about 20 mm. Larvae can be found from mid-July to September and pupation occurs in September. The species overwinters in the pupal stage.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Eupithecia placidata Taylor 1908". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "910320.00 – 7471 – Eupithecia placidata – Taylor, 1908". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  3. ^ McDunnough, James H. (1949). "Revision of the North American species of the genus Eupithecia (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 93: 533–728. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  4. ^ "Eupithecia placidata (Taylor)". Trees, Insects and Diseases of Canada's Forests. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved May 1, 2019.