Peppered moth

Peppered moth
	Biston betularia betularia morpha typica
Conservation status
	Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Biston
Binomial name
	Biston betularia; Linnaeus, 1758

The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a species of night-flying moth. They are often used by educators as an example of natural selection: see peppered moth evolution.

The caterpillars of the peppered moth mimic the form and also the colour of the twig they rest on. The caterpillars can sense the twig’s colour with their skin and match their body colour to the background to protect themselves from predators.^[1]

References[change | change source]

↑ Eacock A., Rowland H.R., van’t Hof A.E., Yung C., Edmonds N., Saccheri I.J (2019). "Caterpillars of the peppered moth perceive color through their skin to match their body color to the background". Archived from the original on 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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[Eacock-1] Eacock A., Rowland H.R., van’t Hof A.E., Yung C., Edmonds N., Saccheri I.J (2019). "Caterpillars of the peppered moth perceive color through their skin to match their body color to the background". Archived from the original on 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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