British and Irish Pug Moths

A M Riley and the late Gaston Prior

A guide to their identification. This group of geometrid moths (in the genera Eupithecia, Chloroclystis and Gymnoscelis) comprises perhaps the most difficult of the macrolepidoptera to identify with confidence, and knowledge of them is consequently uneven. In this new work, the authors describe the biology and characters of all stages of the 52 species from Britain and Ireland, with individual maps showing their known distribution on a vice-county basis. The larvae are illustrated in detailed black-and-white drawings, and the adults in a series of superb colour photographs, arranged with species that are superficially similar juxtaposed. The genitalia of every species are also illustrated in figures drawn to show the main diagnostic features. The work also contains introductory sections including a history of the study of British pugs, and breeding and rearing techniques. There is a comprehensive bibliography, an appendix of foodplants, a life-history table and a full index with synonymies. Adrian Riley, a professional lepidopterist at Rothamsted, with his late co-author, Gaston Prior, a dedicated amateur, have made a special study of this group. Adrian Riley is author of A Natural History of the Butterflies and Moths of Shropshire. 244 pages.

Hardback £31.50