The green pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Chloroclystis or Rhinoprora. It is common throughout the Palearctic region (from Ireland to Japan) and the Near East, but also appears in North America.

Green pug
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Pasiphila
Species:	P. rectangulata
Binomial name
Pasiphila rectangulata (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Synonyms
Phalaena rectangulata Linnaeus, 1758 Rhinoprora rectangulata Chloroclystis rectangulata Geometra bischoffaria Geyer, 1838 Eupithecia griseata Staudinger, 1897 Pyralis mediana Panzer, 1804 Phalaena nigrosericeata Haworth, 1809 Eupithecia rectangularia Boisduval, 1840 Phalaena sericeata Haworth, 1809 Geometra subaerata Hubner, 1817 Phalaena viridulata Hufnagel, 1767

Typically this species has green wings with distinct dark bars but it can be quite variable and is often mostly dark brown with little green. The green coloration also fades over time. "Green, more or less dulled with black, the lines black, the postmedian forming sharper angles than in the two following (C. debiliata, C. agitata). Underside very sharply marked. - In ab. subaerata Hbn. the black markings are reduced, only the antemedian and the postmedian line developed. -In ab. cydoniata Bkh. the black is increased, particularly in the median area. - ab. cydoniata is entirely or almost entirely black."[2]

It flies at night in June and July and is attracted to light.

The stout larva is green with a reddish stripe and feeds on the flowers of various Rosaceae including apple, blackthorn, cherry, hawthorn, pear and quince. The species overwinters as an egg.

References

• Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
• Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pasiphila rectangulata.

• Green pug on UKMoths
• Fauna Europaea
• Lepiforum e.V.
• De Vlinderstichting (in Dutch)
• iNaturalist