Geometridae

Geometridae is a large family of moths known as the geometer moths, one of the largest moth families with around 23,000 described species, including more than 1,400 species native to North America. Their caterpillars, called inchworms, loopers or spanworms, lack the full complement of prolegs found in other moth larvae, having only two or three pairs at the rear, which forces them to move by alternately looping their front and back ends in a measuring motion that gives the family its name, from the Greek for earth measurer. Adult geometer moths typically have slender bodies and broad wings held flat, giving many species a butterfly-like appearance, usually with a wingspan around three centimeters and intricate, wavy patterns that camouflage them at rest. The peppered moth, a well known member of the family, has been extensively studied in population genetics, and several species are agricultural pests.