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15-392: Larentiini is a tribe of geometer moths under subfamily Larentiinae . The tribe was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1845. This Larentiini moth related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Geometer moth The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera ,

30-512: A different family. In many species of geometer moths, the inchworms are about 25 mm (1.0 in) long. They tend to be green, grey, or brownish and hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs. When disturbed, many inchworms stand erect and motionless on their prolegs, further increasing this resemblance. Some have humps or filaments, or cover themselves in plant material. They are gregarious and are generally smooth. Some eat lichen, flowers, or pollen, while some, such as

45-574: A few cases, the prolegs which were originally lost in the ancestral geometer moths re- evolved as an atavism . Larentiinae – about 5,800 species, includes the pug moths, mostly temperate, might be a distinct family. Sterrhinae – about 2,800 species, mostly tropical, might belong to same family as the Larentiinae. Desmobathrinae – pantropical Geometrinae – emerald moths, about 2,300 named species, most tropical Archiearinae – twelve species; holarctic, southern Andes and Tasmania, though

60-473: Is the peppered moth , Biston betularia , which has been the subject of numerous studies in population genetics . Several other geometer moths are notorious pests . The name "Geometridae" ultimately derives from Latin geometra from Greek γεωμέτρης ("geometer", "earth-measurer"). This refers to the means of locomotion of the larvae or caterpillars , which lack the full complement of prolegs seen in other caterpillars, with only two or three pairs at

75-657: The Larentiinae are actually older, as indicated by their numerous plesiomorphies and DNA sequence data. They are either an extremely basal lineage of the Geometridae – together with the Sterrhinae – or might even be considered a separate family of Geometroidea . As regards the Archiearinae, some species that were traditionally placed therein actually seem to belong to other subfamilies; altogether it seems that in

90-553: The Hawaiian species of the genus Eupithecia , are carnivorous. Certain destructive inchworm species are referred to as "cankerworms". In 2019 , the first geometrid caterpillar in Baltic amber was discovered by German scientists. Described under Eogeometer vadens , it measured about 5 mm (0.20 in) and was estimated to be 44 million years old, dating back to the Eocene epoch . It

105-505: The base of the abdomen (these are absent in flightless females). The placement of the example species follows a 1990 systematic treatment; it may be outdated. Subfamilies are tentatively sorted in a phylogenetic sequence, from the most basal to the most advanced. Traditionally, the Archiearinae were held to be the most ancient of the geometer moth lineages, as their caterpillars have well-developed prolegs . However, it now seems that

120-507: The front side of the first abdominal segment. Within the organ, particular structures vary in shape and are used to indicate shared ancestry of subfamilies. In other families of Lepidoptera having abdominal tympanal organs, the opening may be in a different orientation and the structures differ in shape. Tympanal organs have evolved in Lepidoptera to allow them to detect the echolocation calls of predatory bats . The range of frequencies that

135-459: The insect: the thorax , the base of the wing, the abdomen , the legs, etc., depending on the group of insects. The structures are thought to have evolved independently many times. As a result, their position and structures are often used to help determine the taxonomy of the species. For example, all members of the Geometridae share distinctive paired abdominal tympanal organs that open towards

150-716: The latter some seem to belong to the Ennominae, larvae have all the prolegs but most are reduced. Oenochrominae – in some treatments used as a " wastebin taxon " for genera that are difficult to place in other groups Alsophilinae – a few genera, defoliators of trees, might belong in the Ennominae, tribe Boarmiini Ennominae – about 9,700 species, including some defoliating pests, global distribution Geometridae genera incertae sedis include: Fossil Geometridae taxa include: Tympanal organ Tympanal organs have evolved in at least seven different orders of insects. Tympanal organs can occur in just about any part of

165-466: The males are often feathered. They tend to blend into the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. In some species, females have reduced wings (e.g. winter moth and fall cankerworm ). Most are of moderate size, about 3 cm (1.2 in) in wingspan, but a range of sizes occur, from 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in), and a few (e.g., Dysphania species) reach an even larger size. They have distinctive paired tympanal organs at

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180-467: The moth is most sensitive to is usually associated with the frequencies used in echolocation by the sympatric bat community. In the presence of predatory bats, it has been shown that the Lepidoptera species Mythimna unipuncta (true armyworm) stops mating behaviors, such as female calling and male wing flapping. As well, hearing is important for mating behaviors in this species because females increase their flapping frequency around males and males produce

195-534: The moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek geo γεω (derivative form of γῆ or γαῖα "the earth"), and metron μέτρον "measure" in reference to the way their larvae, or inchworms , appear to measure the earth as they move along in a looping fashion. Geometridae is a very large family, containing around 23,000 described species; over 1400 species from six subfamilies are indigenous to North America alone. A well-known member

210-507: The posterior end instead of the usual five pairs. Equipped with appendages at both ends of the body, a caterpillar clasps with its front legs and draws up the hind end, then clasps with the hind end (prolegs) and reaches out for a new front attachment, creating the impression that it measures its journey. The caterpillars are accordingly called "loopers", "spanworms", or "inchworms" after their characteristic looping gait. The cabbage looper and soybean looper are not inchworms but caterpillars of

225-412: Was described as the earliest evidence for the subfamily of Ennominae , particularly the tribe Boarmiini . Many geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible. As such, they appear rather butterfly -like, but in most respects they are typical moths. The majority fly at night. They possess a frenulum to link the wings, and the antennae of

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