Eupithecia extraversaria

• Subfamily: Larentiinae, Eupitheciini
• Wingspan: 15-19 mm
• Flight period: May - Aug
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Apiaceae

Information

The Eupithecia extraversaria is a moth of the Geometridae family, Larentiinae subfamily, with a wingspan of 15-19 mm.
It is distributed in central and southern Europe, it is absent from Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden Finlanida, Norway, Estonia, northern Russia and Croatia. *
In Italy it is absent from the islands. *

The background color of the front wings of the gray Eupithecia extraversaria with dusting of ocher, wavy lines, parallel to each other darker, are more or less evident, and they depart from the costa to end in the anal area. One of these lines swells in the median area, creating an elongated spot. The hind wings have a gray color. The edge of all wings is fringed.
Head, thorax and abdomen are in the background color of the wings, the abdomen has a slightly hinted dorsal line sometimes bordered in dark gray.

It can be observed in warm, dry habitats, such as limestone pastures and moors, but due to the decline of these habitats, and improper maintenance, this species is endangered in some areas . *** < br> Adults fly in the height of summer in the period from June to early August although it is not unlikely to see them as early as the end of May. Caterpillars are found from late July to early September. It overwinters at the pupa stage.

The caterpillars are yellow / greenish in color with a red / purplish band on each segment, in the dorsal area this band widens (in the central segments it has an almost square shape) leaving space with two spots in the background color of the caterpillar. The chrysalis is light green in color and becomes amber in the abdominal segments. **

The larvae feed on the flowers and fruit of various Apiaceae such as: Pimpinella Saxifraga, Bupleurum, Pastinaca, Angelica and Peucedanum.


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/
*** Lepidoptera and their ecology - http://www.pyrgus.de/