The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek geo γη or γαια "the earth" and metron μέτρων "measure" in reference to the way their larvae, or inchworms, appear to "measure the earth" as they move along in a looping fashion. A very large family, it has around 23,000 species of moths described, and over 1400 species from six subfamilies indigenous to North America alone. A well-known member is the peppered moth, Biston betularia, which has been subject of numerous studies in population genetics. Several other geometer moths are notorious pests.
Geometrinae is the nominate subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae). It is strongly split, containing a considerable number of tribes of which most are presently very small or monotypic. These small moths are often a light bluish green, leading to the common name of emerald moths, though a few species called thus are also found in the tribe Campaeini of the Ennominae. A phylogeny and classification was published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in which 13 tribes were accepted.
Larentiinae is a subfamily of moths containing roughly 5,800 species that occur mostly in the temperate regions of the world. They are generally considered a subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) and are divided into a few large or good-sized tribes, and numerous very small or even monotypic ones which might not always be valid. Well-known members are the "pug moths" of the Eupitheciini and the "carpets", mainly of the Cidariini and Xanthorhoini. The subfamily was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1845.
Scopula decorata, the middle lace border, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe.
Scopula immorata, the Lewes wave, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe and the Near East.
Sterrhinae is a large subfamily of geometer moths with some 2,800 described species. This subfamily was described by Edward Meyrick in 1892.
Scopulini is a tribe of the geometer moth family (Geometridae), with about 900 species in seven genera. The tribe was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1845.
Scopula ornata, the lace border, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1763 Entomologia Carniolica. It is found in Europe, North Africa and the Near East.
Scopula limboundata, the large lace-border, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1809. It is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. There is a single and unconfirmed record from Great Britain.
Scopula incanata is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from north-eastern Europe and the Caucasus to southern Siberia and northern Mongolia.
Louis Beethoven Prout (1864–1943) was an English entomologist and musicologist.
Scopula serena is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in Africa south of the Sahara, from Sierra Leone to Tanzania and to South Africa, as well as on the Indian Ocean islands
Scopula subpunctaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from northern and north-eastern China to the southern Palaearctic ecozone.
Scopula caesaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It has a wide range, including the Comoros, Mayotte, La Réunion, Madagascar and in Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Gambia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, New Guinea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia (Queensland).
Scopula confinaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in southern Europe, southern Russia and Turkey.
Scopula corrivalaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from Japan, Korea, China and the Russian Far East through Siberia and Russia to western Europe. In Europe, it ranges from northern Central Europe to the Mediterranean. The habitat consists of marshes and wet meadows.
Scopula luridata is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in southern Europe, Asia Minor, China, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, Oman and Japan.
Scopula pulchellata is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in the Indo-Australian tropics, from India, Sri Lanka to Taiwan and the Solomon Islands, as well as in Africa.
Scopula sideraria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in western North America, from southern British Columbia to San Diego County, California.
William Warren was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera.
