British and Irish Pug Moths - a Guide to their Identification and Biology

This group of geometrid moths (in the genera Eupithecia, Chloroclystis, Pasiphila and Gymnoscelis) comprises perhaps the most difficult of the macrolepidoptera to identify with confidence, and knowledge of them is consequently uneven. In this long-awaited, new and extensively illustrated work, the authors describe the characters and biology of all stages of the 52 species from Britain and Ireland, with individual maps showing their known distribution on a vice-county basis. Particular emphasis is placed on the identification of confusible species and work individuals. The wing-patterns are illustrated in detailed black-and-white drawings to show the main diagnostic features, as are the larvae and genitalia of every species. The adults are depicted in three sets of colour plates: two of set specimens, first, in their systematic order and then with similar species grouped together for easier comparison; the third of moths in their natural postures in a series of 60 superb colour photographs. The introductory chapters contain details of “How to use this book”; and provide an “Historical review of the species”; there is also a chapter on “Breeding and rearing pugs”. Appendixes cover “Foodplants and associated larvae”; a Table of Phenology; and a Glossary. The book concludes with a comprehensive Bibliography, and a full Index including synonymies.

Adrian Riley, formerly a professional lepidopterist at Rothamsted Experimental Station and author of A Natural History of the Butterflies and Moths of Shropshire, and his amateur co-author, Gaston Prior, have made a special study of this group. Their unique and thorough approach will greatly facilitate the identification of pugs and thus encourage their study.