Red List: Least Concern (LC). GB Status: Common.

Identification

Usually distinctive. Care required, potential confusion with Satyr pug.

Previously regarded as two subspecies, a northern form Edinburgh Pug spp millieraria and a southern form Freyer’s Pug spp. arceuthata. Freyers Pug has rapidly expanded its range north, hybridising with Edinburgh Pug. The two are now regarded as a single species with Edinburgh Pug the chosen vernacular.

Recording method

Attracted to light.

Life cycle

One generation. Overwinters as a pupa. Larvae August to September. Pupates in a cocoon amongst the foodplant.

Larval foodplants

Junipers, cypresses and other introduced conifers.

Habitat

Coastal habitats, moorland and roadside verges.

History

First recorded in Dumfries and Galloway in 1940 for VC72 at Tynron by Duncan and in 2010 for VC73 at Dalbeattie.