green pug

not listed

NNA - Not applicable

not listed

Green pug is an exotic, small, broad-winged moth. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced into North America in the 1970s. It was first detected in British Columbia in 1973, and it has since spread to other parts of the Pacific Northwest, eastern Canada, and the northeastern United States. The exact method of introduction is unknown, but it is thought to have been accidentally brought over on nursery stock or other plant material. In the U.S., it now occurs in the east from Maine to Virginia, west to Minnesota and Illinois, and in the west from northwestern Washington to west-central California. It is not uncommon in Minnesota.

Adults are active in June and July. In their native regions, and probably also in North America, they are found in woodland edges, shrubby areas, hedgerows, orchards, parks, and gardens. The larvae feed on the flowers of fruit trees, including apple, cherry, hawthorn, pear, and serviceberry. The moth has not been found to cause any significant economic or ecological damage in North America.

Adults have a ⅝″ to ⅞″ (17 to 23 mm) wingspan.

The forewings are broad. The coloration is highly variable. The background color on freshly emerged adults is usually green, but the green color quickly fades. On mature adults they may be light brown, grayish-brown, or sometimes gray, but they are always heavily marked with black or blackish-brown lines, patches, and shading. The antemedial (AM) and postmedial (PM) lines are dark and wavy. The subterminal (ST) line is represented by a pale crescent-shaped mark between each vein. There are two black patches near the wingtip.

The hindwings are similarly colored. The lines on the forewings continue across the hindwings.

The abdomen is colored like the wings, and it has a broad, dark, transverse band near the base.

Wingspan: ⅝″ to ⅞″ (17 to 23 mm)

Woodland edges, shrubby areas, hedgerows, orchards, parks, and gardens

June and July

Adults are active at night and will come to lights. They rest with their wings spread out flat against tree trunks and branches.

Eggs overwinter

Flowers of fruit trees, including apple, cherry, hawthorn, pear, and serviceberry

Flower nectar

Sources

4, 21, 29, 30, 75, 82, 83.

Common

Pasiphila rectangulata (green pug)

Green pug, on house next to Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Photographed on June 24, 2020.

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Green pug, on house next to Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Photographed on June 24, 2020.