Photo © Eamonn O'Donnell
Pimpinel Pug
Eupithecia pimpinellata
Checklist Number70.165 [B&F: 1845]
Verification
Record will require further evidence, at least a good photograph, unless CMR is aware recorder has confidence in identification
Classification
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Subfamily: | Larentiinae (Eupetheciini) |
| Genus: | Eupithecia |
| Species: | pimpinellata |
| Authority: | (Hübner, [1813]) |
Local on calcareous grassland, downland, quarries, roadside verges and woodland rides throughout much of England. In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight the moth is seldom seen, but larvae are often common on the foodplant on the downs, though they are usually very heavily parasitised. Wingspan 20-23 mm. Could be overlooked as Freyer's Pug E. intricata, which also has a dark band at the base of the abdomen, but Pimpinel Pug has larger discal spot and is distinctly grey along the costa. May be overlooked at light, and more reliably recorded in the larval stage, when larvae are relatively easy to find where they are present. Larva feeds on seed capsules of Burnet-saxifrage, over-wintering as a pupa.
The abundance in each month is indicated as follows:
No records
Very occasional
Irregular
Uncommon
Off-peak, but not unusual
Off-peak, but not unusual
Main flight time| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Larval | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Records by week (adult)
Records by week (larval)
VC8 Wiltshire (Hants county)
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Down NNR (SU02) | 03/08/2021 | - | Paul Bowyer | Adult |
VC10 Isle of Wight
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brading Down (SZ58) | 1800 | - | Anon | - |
| Bembridge (SZ68) | 1856 | - | IWG | Adult |
| Culver Cliff (SZ68) | 1856 | - | IWG | Adult |
| Brading Down (SZ58) | 1856 | - | IWG | Adult |
| Sandown (SZ58) | 1893 | - | L B Prout | Larval |
| Freshwater (SZ38) | 01/07/1946 | one | K G Blair | Adult |
| Culverthorpe (SZ58) | 26/07/1980 | - | Norman Holland | Adult |
| Freshwater (SZ38) | 2001 | - | David B Wooldridge | Adult |
VC11 South Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teg Down (SU42) | 1800 | - | D H Sterling | Larval |
| Portsdown (SU60) | 1800 | - | John R Langmaid | Larval |
| Droxford (SU61) | 1900 | - | John R Langmaid | Larval |
| Portsdown (SU60) | 21/08/1970 | three | Richard J Dickson | Adult |
| Oxenbourne Down (SU71) | 25/07/1973 | one | Richard J Dickson | Adult |
| Teg Down (SU43) | 1975 | - | D H Sterling | - |
| Oxenbourne Down (SU71) | 02/08/1975 | - | J R Langmaid, R J Dickson | Adult |
| Winchester (SU43) | 08/09/1978 | - | D H Sterling | Adult |
| Winchester (SU43) | 03/08/1980 | - | D H Sterling | Adult |
| Winchester (SU43) | 25/07/1981 | - | D H Sterling | Adult |
| Compton Down (SU42) | 07/08/1987 | - | John Chainey | Adult |
| Compton Down, nr Winchester (SU42) | 07/08/1987 | one | John Chainey | Adult |
| Compton Down, nr Winchester (SU42) | 08/08/1987 | one | Wayne Borras | Adult |
| Portsdown (SU60) | 10/07/1991 | one | I Lakin | Adult |
| Portsdown (SU60) | 07/08/1992 | one | J R Langmaid, P R Durnell, M, G Roberts | Adult |
| Sandy Down (SZ39) | 1999 | - | Phil Budd | - |
| Chandlers Ford (SU42) | 15/08/2008 | one | Brian Elliott | Adult |
| Old Winchester Hill (SU62) | 28/09/2015 | one | Keith Wheeler | Larval |
| Old Winchester Hill (SU62) | 08/08/2016 | one | Richard J Dickson | Larval |
VC12 North Hampshire
| Site | Date | Quantity | Recorder | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leckford Estate (SU33) | 1940 | - | Anon | - |
| Abbotstone Down (SU53) | 1961 | - | Anon | - |
| Winchester (SU53) | 1974 | one | Rothamsted Insect Survey | Adult |
| Leckford Estate (SU33) | 1979 | - | Anon | - |
| Leckford (SU33) | 1980 | - | D H Sterling | - |
| Cholderton (SU24) | 1980 | - | Henry Edmunds | Larval |
| Leckford Estate (SU33) | 28/09/1980 | - | D H Sterling | Larval |
| Stockbridge Down (SU33) | 1982 | - | Anon | - |
| Leckford Golf Course (SU33) | 25/09/1997 | 15 | Julian Clarke | Larval |
| Leckford Golf Course (SU33) | 17/09/1998 | 10 | Julian Clarke | Larval |
| Porton Down (SU23) | 03/07/2003 | one | David G Green & James McGill | Adult |
