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Article: Peppered Moth
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- Animal Sciences
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Peppered Moth
The peppered moth (
Biston botularia
) is an inconspicuous member of the family Geometridae, a night-flying species thought to spend its days resting camouflaged among the lichens that grow on tree trunks. The moth's predominant form has white wings, "peppered" with black specks or faint black lines, perfect for blending in with its tree bark environment. Less common is a variant,
carbonaria,
which is a black-winged moth, with increased levels of melanin (black pigment) causing the color change. The peppered moth has come to play a significant role in two important stories in science.
In 1859 British
naturalist
Charles Darwin proposed a theory of evolution in his book
On ...