Eupithecia actaeata (Walderdorff, 1869)

Host plants:
The caterpillars live on leaves of Actaea spicata (baneberry).

Habitat:
Eupithecia actaeata inhabits forests with baneberry in the undergrowth. In the Swabian Alb, it is often found in slope forests with beech, maple, ash and elm on the northern escarpment. Eupithecia actaeata can also occur in spruce forests.

Life cycle:
The pupa hibernates. The moths fly from May to July, and at least in warm years again from late July to early September in a partial second generation. I found the young caterpillars on the eastern Swabian Alb in mid-July. The caterpillars live exclusively on leaves (and there on the bottom side), where they produce a characteristic feeding image.

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Eupithecia actaeata is locally at risk due to intensification of forestry measures (dense dark forest management, intensive thinning and road construction).

Remarks:
Eupithecia actaeata is distributed from France to Japan. In Europe it occurs south of the Alps only very locally (e.g. in Italy). The moth is more widespread in the Alps, some northern lower mountain ranges such as the Swabian Alb and in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.