bleached pug vs cloaked pug

Eupithecia expallidata compared with Eupithecia abietaria

Key Differences

• bleached pug is Near Threatened while cloaked pug is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	bleached pug	cloaked pug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family same	Geometridae	Geometridae
Genus same	Eupithecia	Eupithecia
Species	Eupithecia expallidata	Eupithecia abietaria

Evolutionary Relationship

bleached pug and cloaked pug share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Eupithecia.

Conservation Status

bleached pug

NT — Near Threatened

cloaked pug

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	bleached pug	cloaked pug
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

bleached pug

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

cloaked pug

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries).

bleached pug

The Bleached pug (Eupithecia expallidata) is a species in the genus Eupithecia. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

cloaked pug

The cloaked pug (Eupithecia abietaria) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across boreal and montane Europe, with populations extending from Scandinavia through the Alps and Carpathians into central Siberia. The adult wingspan measures approximately 20–25 mm, with the intricate grey, white, and dark cross-banded pattern typical of pug moths providing superb camouflage against spruce bark and lichen-covered surfaces. The species is closely associated with Norway spruce (Picea abies) and related conifers, whose developing cones serve as the principal larval foodplant. Larvae feed within the scales of ripening cones, making detection and study challenging. Adults fly in a single generation from June to August, active at night and attracted to light. The cloaked pug is characteristic of mature boreal coniferous forest and montane spruce woodland, habitats that have declined in extent across parts of Central Europe due to conversion to plantation forestry and changing forest management practices. Its conservation depends on the maintenance of naturally structured boreal and subalpine forests with abundant cone-bearing conifers.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden