Biston (moth)
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:
Diversity
The genus currently contains 54 species and 40 subspecies.
Species
Species include:Biston achyra Wehrli, 1936Biston bengaliaria Biston betularia - peppered mothBiston brevipennata Inoue, 1982Biston bura Biston contectaria Biston exalbescens Inoue, 2000Biston falcata Biston giganteus InoueBiston hypoleucus Kuznetsov, 1901Biston inouei Holloway, 1993Biston insularis Biston marginata Shiraki, 1913Biston mediolata Jiang, Nan, Dayong Xue & Hongxiang Han, 2011Biston melacron Wehrli, 1941Biston multidentata Biston panterinaria Biston pelidna ProutBiston perclara Biston pustulata Biston quercii Biston regalis Biston robustum Butler, 1879Biston strataria - oak beautyBiston subregalis InoueBiston suppressaria Biston thibetaria Biston thoracicarius Biston tianschanicus Wehrli, 1940