Geometridae

Cherry looper moth Chloroclystis approximata, copyright Donald Hobern.

Belongs within: Geometroidea.
Contains: Eupithecia, Oenochrominae, Acidalianae, Geometrinae, Ennominae, Sterrhinae, Xanthorhoe.

The Geometridae are a highly diverse group of moths. Their larvae are commonly known as loopers due to their characteristic looping mode of movement resulting from a reduction in the number of prolegs. Adults are commonly cryptically coloured with mottled grey or brown colours. Most are nocturnal though members of the subfamily Archiearinae and many Larentiinae are day-flying. Archiearinae have cryptic fore wings but brightly coloured hind wings. The Larentiinae have strongly marked fore wings with wavy, transverse lines and fasciae that tend to meet the dorsum at right angles in the fore wings. Nocturnal geometrids spend the day with wings pressed to the bark of trees, relying on the camouflage of their colour schemes for protection (Nielsen & Common 1991).

Characters (from Nielsen & Common 1991): Small to large; head usually smooth scaled; ocelli usually absent; chaetosemata present; antennae simple or pectinate; proboscis present, unscaled; maxillary palps very small, upturned or porrect; epiphysis present; spurs usually 0-2-4; male hind tibiae sometimes modified; wings broad, sometimes reduced in females, fore wing often triangular, discal cell rarely to beyond midlength, often with one or two areoles; fore wing with Sc close to or partly fused with R₁, R₄ and R₅ always stalked, M₂ not arising nearer to M₃ than M₁, CuP absent, 1A+2A sometimes with small basal fork; hind wing with two or more frenular bristles in female, humeral angle usually expanded, humeral vein often present from angle of Sc, Sc approximated to, or fused with Rs near base, or joined to Rs by R₁, and then divergent, M₂ not arising nearer to M₃ than M₁ or absent, anal area absent, one or two anal veins; abdomen often slender; paired tympanal organs present in invaginations of anterior part of S2, inner side of each tympanal membrane with a thickened border and sclerotised arm (ansa), with four acoustic sense cells. Larva usually long and slender, ventral prolegs sometimes present on segments 3-6, 4-6, 5 and 6 or, more usually, only 6, prolegs on 6 often posterior, anal prolegs massive; crochets biordinal in curved mesoseries, rarely uniordinal; prothorax with two, rarely three, L setae; often twig- or leaf-like, rarely in loose shelter, usually feeding fully exposed. Pupa with cremaster well developed, often with hooked setae; without dorsal spines; usually in flimsy cocoon in debris or in soil; not protruded at ecdysis.

<==Geometridae [Boarmiidae, Macaridae, Monoctenidae] RD77
    |--+--Geometrinae KP19
    |  `--Ennominae KP19
    `--+--Sterrhinae KP19
       `--Larentiinae [Larentidae] KP19
            |--Sauris remodesaria NC91, WM66
            |--Austrocidaria AY04
            |--Xanthorhoe NC91
            |--Euphyia NC91
            |--Microdes squamulata NC91, G84
            |--Gymnoscelis rufifasciata (Haworth 1809) NC91, JP05
            |--Scotosia stellata H01
            |--Pterocypha defensata H01
            |--Operophtera brumata KP19
            |--Poecilasthena C70
            |    |--P. pulchraria C70
            |    `--P. subpurpureata P27b
            |--Larentia F92
            |    |--L. badiata F92
            |    |--L. clavaria F92
            |    |--L. impluviata F92
            |    `--L. juniperata F92
            `--Chloroclystis NC91
                 |--C. approximata NC91
                 |--C. bilineolata P27a
                 |--C. citrata (Linnaeus 1761) JP05
                 |--C. heighwayi Philpott 1927 P27a
                 |--C. laticostata C70
                 |--C. muscosata L27
                 |--C. sandycias L27
                 |--C. siterata (Hufnagel 1767) JP05
                 `--C. testulata P27b

Geometridae incertae sedis:
  Arctesthes catapyrrha PPE03
  Paranotoreas brephosata PPE03
  Helastia semisignata M83
  Hypochrosis A71
  Semiothisa PP72
    |--S. cruciata PP72
    `--S. liturata F92
  Peratophyga A71
  Pseudocoremia suavis BB04
  Eupithecia GE05
  Synchlora GE05
  Alsophila GE05
    |--A. aescularia RD77
    `--A. pometaria GE05
  Probole FM80
    |--P. alienaria FM80
    `--P. nepiasaria [=Hyperetis nepiasaria] FM80
  Declana M83
    |--D. atronivea O81
    |--D. floccosa M83
    `--D. leptomeris P27b
  Selina bilunaria A30
  Archephanes AY04
  Milionia queenslandica G08
  Rhynchopsota AY04
  Apeira syringaria (Linnaeus 1758) JP05
  Odontopera bidentata (Clerck 1759) JP05
  Peribatodes V09
    |--P. rhomboidaria [=Boarmia rhomboidaria] V09
    `--P. secundaria (Esper 1794) JP05
  Campaea margaritata (Linnaeus 1767) V09, JP05
  Elophos JP05
    |--E. dilucidaria (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
    `--E. vittaria (Thunberg 1788) JP05
  Siona lineata (Scopoli 1763) JP05
  Melanthia procellata (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
  Catarhoe cuculata (Hufnagel 1767) JP05
  Thera obeliscata (Hübner 1787) JP05
  Horisme JP05
    |--H. corticata (Treitschke 1835) JP05
    |--H. peplodes P27b
    `--H. tersata (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
  Epirrita christyi (Allen 1906) JP05
  Eupithecila linariata (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
  Epione vespertaria (Linnaeus 1775) JP05
  Plagodis dolabraria (Linnaeus 1767) JP05
  Petrophora chlorosata (Scopoli 1763) JP05
  Chesias JP05
    |--C. legatella (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775) JP05
    |--C. oranaria Lucas 1849 E12
    `--C. spartiata F92
  Rhinoprora chloerata (Mabille 1870) JP05
  Acasis viretata (Hübner 1817) JP05
  Scotorythra O94
  Oar pratana F05
    |--O. p. pratana F05
    `--O. p. baezi Hausmann 2004 F05
  Pseudoterpna pruinata YS10
  Orsonoba rajaca WM66
  Problepsis apollinaria ZS10
  Protuliocnemis ZS10
  Alleopage cinerea ZS10
  Dysphania numana ZS10
  Corymica pryeri ZS10
  Stathmorrhopa aphotista G84
  Zermisinga indocilisaria G84
  Jodis lactearia V09
  Cyclophora punctaria V09
  Opisthograpta luteolata [=Rumia luteolata] V09
  Angerona prunaria P01
  Ematurga atomaria P01
  Scoria lineata P01
  Lythria P01
    |--L. chrysopeda P27b
    `--L. purpuraria P01
  Ortholitha plumbaria P01
  Lithostege griseata [incl. L. griseata var. duplicaria, L. griseata ab. infuscata] P01
  Eucosmia undulata P01
  Cidaria P01
    |--C. albicillata P01
    |--C. comitata P01
    |--C. hastata P01
    `--C. luctuata P01
  Melanodes NC91
  Thalassodes M86
    |--T. byrsopis Meyrick 1886 M86
    `--T. chloropis M86
  Anacamptodes vellvolata C96
  Eucaterva variaria G05
  Geometridites larentiiformis RJ93
  ‘Monotaxis’ Hulst 1898 non Bennett 1830 S01
  Ellopia S96
    |--E. athasaria S96
    `--E. somniaria F92
  Prochoerodes truxaliata WS96
  Elpiste lorquinaria WS96
  Archiearinae NC91
    |--Acalyphes philorites NC91
    |--Dirce NC91
    `--Archiearis ZK11
         |--A. notha (Hübner 1808) I92
         `--A. parthenias ZK11
  Hemitheinae C70
    |--Hemithea aestivaria (Hübner 1789) JP05
    |--Eucyclodes pieroides C70
    `--Chlorocoma C70
         |--C. assimilis C70
         `--C. dichoraria P27b
  Oenochrominae NC91
  Acidalianae H01
  Abraxas [Abraxinae] S01
    |--A. adustata F92
    |--A. grossulariata F92
    |--A. latifasciata Swinhoe 1901 S01
    |--A. marginata P01
    |--A. munda S01
    |--A. pantaria F92
    |--A. sibilla [=Craspedosis sibilla] S01
    `--A. silvata P01
  Erannis defeliaria RD77, F92 [=Hibernia defeliaria F92]
  Apocheima RD77
  Colotois pennaria RD77
  Monoctenia pallida P27b
  Palaecrita RD77
  Hasodima D00
    |--H. dardania Druce 1900 D00
    |--H. puta Druce 1900 D00
    `--H. salapia Druce 1900 D00
  Ophthalmophora D00
    |--O. amabilis D00
    |--O. cluana Druce 1900 D00
    |--O. erionia Druce 1900 D00
    |--O. geryon Druce 1900 D00
    |--O. haemon Druce 1900 D00
    |--O. halala Druce 1900 D00
    `--O. sardes Druce 1900 D00
  Bassodes aemonia Druce 1900 D00
  Camptogramma stellata PP72
  Cosymbia PP72
    |--C. impudens PP72
    `--C. linearia F92

*Type species of generic name indicated

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Last updated: 24 April 2022.