Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
    lepido = scale and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    The wings are covered with small scales.
Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
Family: Geometridae (inchworm or geometer moths)

Knudson and Bordelon (1999) list almost 200 species for the Park. Together with the Noctuidae, the Geometridae account for over half of the species recorded from the Park.

Most species have a body length around 1 inch or less. These moths have a thin body and so tend to hold their wings flat when resting. (While there are some depth-of-field problems, it is possible with the on-camera flash at night to get good closeup pictures of the wings. Often the head is out of focus.) Many species spread their wings at rest, revealing underwings which continue the pattern formed by the front wings.

The caterpillars of the geometrid moths are often called inchworms or measuringworms.

geometrid moth

Species: undetermined
Common Name: geometrid moth (not species specific)
Date: 2003 August 7
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Pine Springs Visitor Center (at lights)

green geometrid moth

Species: undetermined
Common Name: geometrid moth (not species specific)
Date: 2003 September 21-23 (exact date unknown)
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Pine Springs Visitor Center (at lights)

<i>Pero</i> sp.

Species: Pero sp.
Common Name: geometrid moth (not species specific)
Date: 2003 August 31
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    Pine Springs Visitor Center (at lights)

The front wings are distinctive in this genus, having a folded appearance. In addition, the abdomen is usually curled upwards.

Links

Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.