Biston is a genus of large, long-winged moths belonging to the family Geometridae. It is most notable for containing the well-known peppered moth. The genus was first described by William Elford Leach in 1815.
Contents
Distribution
The species of Biston are widely distributed in Holarctic, Oriental, and Ethiopian regions.
Description
In 1895, British entomologist George Hampson described characteristics of the genus as follows:
"Its palpi are short and hairy. The thorax is stout and clothed with a thick pile. Its legs are hairy. The hind tibia are not dilated and have slight spurs. The forewings have rounded apexes and oblique outer margins. Vein 3 from near angle of cell. Veins 7 to 9 stalked from near the upper angle, and veins 10 and 11 stalked, where 10 often connected with veins 8 and 9. Hindwings with long cells and vein 3 from the angle."
Diversity
The genus currently contains 54 species and 40 subspecies.
Species
Species include:
Biston achyra Wehrli, 1936
Biston bengaliaria (Guenée, 1857)
Biston betularia (Linnaeus, 1758) – peppered moth
Biston brevipennata Inoue, 1982
Biston bura (Warren, 1894)
Biston contectaria (Walker, 1863)
Biston exalbescens Inoue, 2000
Biston falcata (Warren, 1893)
Biston giganteus Inoue
Biston hypoleucus Kuznetsov, 1901
Biston inouei Holloway, 1993
Biston insularis (Warren, 1894)
Biston marginata Shiraki, 1913
Biston mediolata Jiang, Nan, Dayong Xue & Hongxiang Han, 2011
Biston melacron Wehrli, 1941
Biston multidentata (Guedet, 1941)
Biston panterinaria (Bremer & Grey, 1853)
Biston pelidna Prout
Biston perclara (Warren, 1899)
Biston pustulata (Warren, 1896)
Biston quercii (Oberthür, 1910)