Peppered moth
Biston betularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status not recordedbutterflies and moths
The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Geometridae and subfamily Ennominae. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Geometroidea and genus Biston, within the class Insecta and phylum Arthropoda.
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Quick facts about the peppered moth
Its representative wingspan is 4.25 cm, and the Catalogue of Life lists it as a living, not extinct, species. Other English names for it include pepper-and-salt geometer and pepper-and-salt geometer moth.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 4.25 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Generations a year
- Onesrc for Generations a year
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the peppered moth?
Photos of the peppered moth
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the peppered moth live?
Not recorded
What is the peppered moth?
The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is night flying, and found mainly in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Peppered moth evolution is an example of population genetics and natural selection.
The caterpillars of the peppered moth not only mimic the form but also the colour of a twig. Recent research indicates that the caterpillars can sense the twig's colour with their skin and match their body colour to the background to protect themselves from predators.
From the Wikipedia article “Peppered moth” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peppered_moth&oldid=1364277050), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the peppered moth endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the peppered moth classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderLepidoptera
- familyGeometridae
- genusBiston
- SpeciesBiston betularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Amphidasis betularia, Amphidasys betularia, Amphidasys betularia var. doubledayaria, Eubyja betularia, Phalaena betularia
Other names and names in other languages (29)
- Pepper and salt geometerEnglish
- Pepper-and-salt geometerEnglish
- Pepper-and-salt geometer mothEnglish
- drsnokřídlec březovýCzech
- gwyfyn brith [golau]Welsh
- BirkemålerDanish
- Almindelig birkemålerDanish
- Grå birkemålerDanish
- BirkenspannerGerman
- Polilla moteadaSpanish
- Polilla del abedulSpanish
- kase-kedrikvaksikEstonian
- koivumittariFinnish
- Phalène du BouleauFrench
- nyírfaaraszolóHungarian
- Farfalla punteggiata delle betulleItalian
- オオシモフリエダシャクJapanese
- 회색가지나방Korean
- Beržinis ŠeriasprindisLithuanian
- bjørkelurvemålerNorwegian Bokmål
- Peper-en-zoutvlinderDutch
- bjørkelurvemålarNorwegian Nynorsk
- krępak nabrzozakPolish
- Берёзовая пяденицаRussian
- Piadivka brezováSlovak
- brezov preprogarSlovenian
- björkmätareSwedish
- stor björkmätareSwedish
- Beržinis eriasprindisroot
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWikidata
Relatives of the peppered moth
Other species in the same genus Biston.
ComparePeppered moth vs Oak beautyPeppered moth vs Tea looperPeppered moth vs Biston abruptariaPeppered moth vs Biston achyra
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the peppered moth?
The peppered moth is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the family Geometridae in the order Lepidoptera.
What is the scientific name of the peppered moth?
The scientific name of the peppered moth is Biston betularia, and it is placed in the genus Biston.
What is the wingspan of the peppered moth?
The peppered moth has a representative wingspan of 4.25 cm.
Who named the peppered moth and when?
The peppered moth was named by Linnaeus in 1758, with the authority written as (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the peppered moth extinct?
No, the Catalogue of Life lists the peppered moth as living, not extinct.
What other names does the peppered moth have?
The peppered moth is also called the pepper-and-salt geometer, pepper and salt geometer, or pepper-and-salt geometer moth.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Peppered moth (Biston betularia). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/peppered-moth
“Peppered moth (Biston betularia).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/peppered-moth.
@misc{peppered_moth_2026,
title = {Peppered moth (Biston betularia)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/peppered-moth},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}