Editing Geometer moth (section)

{{short description|Family of insects}}{{redirect|Inchworm}}
{{redirect|Geometridae|the mollusc family|Geomitridae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Priabonian]] to [[Holocene|Recent]] {{fossilrange|35|0}}
| image = Chiasma species W IMG 2775.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Chiasmia]]'' species from [[Ennominae]]
| taxon = Geometridae
| authority = [[William Elford Leach|Leach]], 1815
| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
| subdivision = 
*[[Alsophilinae]] <small>(disputed)</small><!-- Zootaxa1736:1. -->
*[[Archiearinae]]<!-- Zootaxa1736:1. -->
*[[Desmobathrinae]] <small>(disputed)</small><!-- Fauna Europaea treats this and the Alsophilinae as synonyms of Oenochrominae -->
*[[Ennominae]]
*[[Geometrinae]]
*[[Larentiinae]] <small>(but see [[#Systematics|text]])</small>
*[[Oenochrominae]]<!-- Zootaxa1736:1. -->
*[[Orthostixinae]]
*[[Sterrhinae]]<!-- ZoolScripta37:405. -->
}}

The '''geometer moths''' are [[moth]]s belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Geometridae''' of the insect [[order (biology)|order]] [[Lepidoptera]], the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek {{lang|grc-Latn|geo}} {{lang|grc|γεω}} (derivative form of {{lang|grc|γῆ}} or {{lang|grc|γαῖα}} "the earth"), and {{lang|grc-Latn|metron}} {{lang|grc|μέτρον}} "measure" in reference to the way their larvae, or '''inchworms''', appear to measure the earth as they move along in a looping fashion.<ref name="bugguide.net">{{cite web |last1=Robin McLeod |first1=John |last2=Balaban |first2=Jane |last3=Moisset |first3=Beatriz |last4=Entz |first4=Chuck |date=April 27, 2009 |title=Family Geometridae - Geometrid Moths |website=BugGuide |url=http://bugguide.net/node/view/188 |access-date=April 2, 2011}}</ref> Geometridae is a very large family, containing around 23,000 described species;<ref>{{cite web |title=Lepidoptera Barcode of Life |url=http://www.lepbarcoding.org/geometridae/species_checklists.php |access-date=2017-07-11 |archive-date=2017-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712051748/http://www.lepbarcoding.org/geometridae/species_checklists.php |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Scoble, M. J. |title=Geometrid Moths of the World: A Catalogue (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) |volume=1 and 2 |publisher=[[CSIRO Publishing]] and Apollo Books |location=[[Stenstrup]] |page=1016 |year=1999 |language=de}}</ref> over 1400 species from six subfamilies are indigenous to North America alone.<ref name="bugguide.net"/> A well-known member is the [[peppered moth]], ''Biston betularia'', which has been the subject of numerous studies in [[population genetics]]. Several other geometer moths are notorious [[pest (organism)|pests]].