Characteristics
- Small to medium-sized moths, sometimes very slender
- Broad wings, often with cryptic patterns
- Typical resting posture: wings spread flat or slightly raised
- Primarily nocturnal, attracted to light
- Hindwings and forewings similar, with fine venation
Habitat
Geometroidea inhabit:
- Forests, woodland edges, hedgerows, wooded fallows
- Gardens, orchards, parks
- Temperate to tropical zones, with population peaks in spring and summer
Biology
- Eggs laid on leaves or branches of host plants
- Typical caterpillars known as loopers or inchworms, very elongated
- Lack of prolegs in the middle abdomen → looping movement
- Phytophagous: feed on the leaves of deciduous or coniferous plants
- Pupation in the soil, in a cocoon, or between folded leaves
Main Family
- Geometridae – Very large family (over 20,000 known species), highly diverse in size, shape, and markings:
- Ennominae, Larentiinae, Sterrhinae, Geometrinae (subfamilies)
Representative Species
- Opisthograptis luteolata – Brimstone Moth: bright yellow, scalloped wings
- Biston betularia – Peppered Moth: classic example of industrial melanism
- Chloroclysta truncata, Colotois pennaria, Campaea margaritata – Common European species
Noteworthy Traits
- Caterpillars often mimic twigs or branches
- Adults are hard to spot during the day but abundant at light traps
- Some species are multivoltine (several generations per year)
- Excellent bioindicators of plant diversity in a habitat
A realistic illustration of a Biston betularia resting on tree bark, or a twig-mimicking looper caterpillar on a slender branch, will be added soon.