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.
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) Biston regalis (Moore, 1888) Biston robustum Butler, 1879 Biston strataria (Hufnagel, 1767) – oak beauty Biston subregalis Inoue Biston suppressaria (Guenée, 1857) Biston thibetaria (Oberthür, 1886) Biston thoracicarius (Oberthür, 1884) Biston tianschanicus Wehrli, 1940
References
Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the genera of Lepidoptera-Geometridae. Version: 29 December 2011 Full description Caterpillar Hostplant Database Nomina Insecta Nearctica Fauna Europaea