Family Geometridae

Diagnosis: palpi never longer than head; fw venation trifid (M₂ arising from middle of discal cell, only three veins arising from Cubitus stem); hw with Sc+R and Rs forming a small basal areole; f/hw usually with the same pattern. Tympanum present at base of abdomen.

Diversity: Worldwide at least 26,000 species in eight subfamilies; North America has 1,400 species in six subfamilies; 160 species have been recorded from North Dakota.

Checklist numbers: 6256- 7648.

Biology: Larvae are the familiar ‘inchworms’ having only two pairs of prolegs rather than the usual five pairs of the majority of lepidopterous larvae. Females of a number of species have atrophied wings and are flightless. The majority of species are arboreal leaf feeders, some are forb feeders and at least one small group contains ambush predators. A few species of economic importance: Spring/Fall cankerworms, Winter moth, Large maple spanworm.

Further reading:

Bolte, K. B. 1990. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). VI. Subfamily Larentiinae 1. Revision of the genus Eupithecia. Mem. Can. Entomol. Soc. 151: 1- 253.

Covell, Charles C. 1970. A revision of the North Amerian species of the genus Scopula (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 96(2, contrib. 113): 101-221.

Ferguson, Douglas C. 1974. Moths of the Semiothisa signaria complex (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Can. Entomol. 106: 569-621.

__________. 1985. Fascicle 18.1 Geometroidea Geometridae (part) in Dominick et al. The moths of America north of Mexico. E. W. Classey Ltd. London. 131 pp.

McBride, Dean K. 1965. Geometridae of North Dakota. MS Thesis, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. 80 pp.

McGuffin, W. C. 1967. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). I. Subfamily Sterrhinae. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 50: 1- 67.

__________. 1972. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). II. Subfamily Ennominae 1. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 86: 1- 159.

__________. 1973. The Rheumaptera of North America (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Can. Entomol. 105: 383-398.

__________. 1977. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). II. Subfamily Ennominae 2. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 101: 1- 191.

__________. 1981. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). II. Subfamily Ennominae 3. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 117: 1- 153.

__________. 1987. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). II. Subfamily Ennominae 4. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 138: 1- 182.

__________. 1988. Guide to the Geometridae of Canada (Lepidoptera). III, IV, and V. Subfamilies Archiearinae, Oenochrominae, and Geometrinae. Mem. Entomol. Soc. Can. 145: 1- 56.

Minet, Joël and Malcolm J. Scoble. Chapter 17. The Drepanoid/ Geometroid assemblage, pp. 301- 320 in Kristensen, Neils P. ed. 1999. Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies. Part 35, Vol. 1 in Handbook of Zoology. Maximilian Fischer ed. Walter de Gryter, New York. 491 pp.

Rindge, Fredrick H. 1965. A revision of the moth genus Stenoporpia (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Bull. 140(2): 65-134.

__________. 1971. A revision of the moth genus Lytrosis (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Novit. 2474: 21 pp.

__________. 1974. A revision of the moth genus Hesperumia (Lepidoptera, Geometridae. Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Novit. 2561: 24 pp.

__________. 1976. A revision of the moth genus Plataea (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Novit. 2595: 27 pp.

_________. 1978. A revision of the moth genus Xanthotype (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Novit. 2659: 24 pp.

__________. 1979. A revision of the North American moths of the genus Lomographa (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). Amer. Mus. Natr. Hist. Novit. 2673: 18 pp.

Scoble, Malcom J. 1992. The Higher Ditrysia, Chapter 12, pp. 290- 341 in The Lepidoptera: form, function, and diversity. Oxford Univ. press. 1982. 404 pp.