Wavy-lined Emerald Moth
Synchlora aerata (Fabricius, 1798)
Wavy-lined Emerald Moth: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/7149
Synonyms
Hodges #7058  Wavy-lined Emerald 
Tags

Map Snapshot

394 Records

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Status

According to Maryland moth experts John Glaser and Larry Line, the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth is common across the state.

Description

Very similar to Southern Emerald Moth and great care should be taken in separating the two species. The Southern Emerald Moth has a more jagged white transverse line across the wing than the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth. The Wavy-lined Emerald Moth should be the only Synchlora west of the piedmont.

The caterpillar of the Wavy-lined Emerald Moth is distinctive. Called the Camouflaged Looper, it can be found in fields and woodland edges from spring to early autumn. To avoid detection by predators, it uses its mouthparts to clip off fragments of the plant it's feeding on, such as flower parts and pieces of leaves, and it then attaches them to its back with silk. When the caterpillar molts or changes to a different host plant, it changes its decoration to match its new host.

Where To Find

Readily comes into porch lights.

Relationships

The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of host plants, including Blue Mistflower, Common Dandelion, Gray Goldenrod, Canada Goldenrod, Black-eyed Susan, American Red Raspberry, Spearmint, Yellow Sweetclover, Dense Blazing Star, Shaggy Blazing Star, Black Huckleberry, Canadian Horseweed, Sweet Fern, Yellow Birch, White Heath Aster, (Database of the Word's Lepidopteran Host Plants).

Seasonality Snapshot

Resources

View at iNaturalist View at Nature Serve Search Google Images Search MBP Facebook posts
View images at BugGuide View in Moth Photographers Group
Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

Source: Wikipedia

Synchlora aerata

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Synchlora
Species:
S. aerata
Binomial name
Synchlora aerata
(Fabricius, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena aerata Fabricius, 1798
  • Aplodes glaucaria Guenée, 1857
  • Geometra mimicata Walker, 1866
  • Aplodes rubivora Riley, 1869
  • Synchlora rubrifrontaria Packard, 1873
  • Eunemoria gracilaria Packard, 1873
  • Synchlora rubivoraria Packard, 1876
  • Synchlora albolineata Packard, 1873
  • Synchlora albolinearia Packard, 1876
  • Synchlora liquoraria Guenée, 1857
  • Eunemoria tricoloraria Packard, 1874

Synchlora aerata, the wavy-lined emerald moth or camouflaged looper, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. The species was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1798.[2][3] It is found in the United States and Canada.[1][4]

The wingspan is about 17 mm.[4]

The larvae are loopers (inchworms) like the rest in the family. They feed on composite flowers, shrubs, and trees.[5] Recorded food plants include Aster, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Solidago, Artemisia, Achillea and Rubus species. The species overwinters as a partially grown larva.

The caterpillars employ the unusual behavior of affixing bits of the plant tissue on which they are feeding to the several large spines on their back. This provides cover from gleaning birds that rely on keen eyesight. The camouflage can also block smaller animals from sensing them.

This wavy-lined emerald moth not only hides visually but is masked from the chemical sensors on this crab spider's front legs.
Wavy-lined emerald moth is an inchworm. It defensively bumps insects that get too close to it.

Subspecies

[edit]
  • Synchlora aerata aerata (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland)
  • Synchlora aerata albolineata Packard, 1873 (from Newfoundland to Alberta and south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maine, New England, Massachusetts, northern Connecticut. It is also found in southern Manitoba)
  • Synchlora aerata liquoraria Guenée, 1857 (from California, Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia and Alberta. It is also found in South Dakota)
  • Caterpillar with plant pieces as camouflage
    Caterpillar with plant pieces as camouflage
  • Pupa with part of its cocoon made of plant pieces as camouflage
    Pupa with part of its cocoon made of plant pieces as camouflage

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b NatureServe (2 June 2023). "Synchlora aerata". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  2. ^ Savela, Markku. "Synchlora aerata (Fabricius, 1798)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "910639.00 – 7058 – Synchlora aerata – Wavy-lined Emerald Moth – (Fabricius, 1798)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Schmidt, B.C. (18 August 2003). "Species Details Synchlora aerata". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  5. ^ Rose, Joshua Stuart (April 22, 2019). "Species Synchlora aerata - Wavy-lined Emerald - Hodges#7058". BugGuide. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
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