Скачать или смотреть Looper no. 2 | Loopers are caterpillars of geometridae moth

Close up macro of a geometridae moth caterpillar/ moth larva.
Stickworm or inch worm or looper (Geometridae)

It has front and rear legs and makes a loop while crawling, making loop with only front and back end touching.
The caterpillars are accordingly called "loopers", "spanworms", or "inchworms" after their characteristic looping gait.

it mimic like a dry stick.
hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs.

Taxonomic Classification of the insect
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae

Family Geometridae (Inchworms or
loppers), with approximately 23,002 described species (Nieukerken et al., 2011) is the second most diverse family of Lepidoptera, occurring worldwide except in the Polar Regions.
Geometridae is a moth family, its species are nocturnal and tend to be more specific to certain habitats particularly at high altitudes
(Axmacher and Fiedler, 2008). Geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) are mostly the forest pests of woody plants, agricultural crops, fruit-berry crops and feed mainly on the leaves of wide range of plants particularly trees and
shrubs. Geometrids are abundant and diverse component of most forest ecosystems, this along with their weak flight ability and low propensity to migrate (DeWaard et al., 2011)
make them excellent indicators of environmental quality (Kitching et al., 2001). The caterpillars are commonly known as loopers or inchworms
because of their looping gait resulting from a reduced number of abdominal prolegs.
Geometridae are generally secretive and cryptic Insects, sometimes moths are green as the leaves on which they rest or have brown, grey and other colours forming mottled bark-like
patterns of flecks and wavy lines. Their resting postures enhance camouflage, with the moths spreading their wings flat against the underside of leaves and the caterpillars are often twig-like

● Geometer moths🙂
💥 The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies.
💥 A very large family, it has around 23,000 species of moths described, and over 1400 species from six subfamilies. Moreover several other geometer moths are notorious pests.

Prolegs of looper moth (Geometridae) caterpillar

Adults:-
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 the males are often feathered.


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 lepidopteran caterpillars, with only two or three pairs at 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.

Many inchworms, when disturbed, stand erect and motionless on their prolegs, increasing the resemblance. Some have humps or filaments. They are gregarious and are generally smooth. Some eat lichen, flowers, or pollen, while some, such as the Hawaiian species of the genus Eupithecia, are even carnivorous. Certain destructive inchworms are called cankerworms.

lack the full complement of prolegs seen in other Lepidopteran caterpillars, with only two or three pairs at the posterior end instead of the usual five pairs.

Its munching on leaves.
Polyphagous feeding many weed species also.
The pest is polyphagous. Shade tress like Dalbergia assamica, Albizzia
chinensis, A. odoratissima, Derris robusta, Acacia modesta, A. catechu,
Aleurities montana, Bauhinia variegata, Cassia auriculata, Carissa diffusa,
Dodonaea viscosa, Lagerstroemia indica, Cajanus indica and Priotropis
cystisoides (green crops) are the alternate hosts of the looper caterpillar.

Looper caterpillars are
attacked by a number of parasites (Hymenoptera and Diptera)

One is a Semi looper (Erebidae).
Loopers belong to family Geometridae (They have only 1 pair of Abdominal/Pseudo legs). And Hawk moths belong to family Sphingidae (Larvae are characterised by the presence of Caudal horn).



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