Editing Geometer moth (section)

==Caterpillars==
The name "Geometridae" ultimately derives from Latin ''{{lang|la|geometra}}'' from Greek {{Lang|el|γεωμέτρης}} ("geometer", "earth-measurer"). This refers to the means of locomotion of the [[larva]]e or [[caterpillar]]s, which lack the full complement of [[proleg]]s seen in other 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. The caterpillars are accordingly called "loopers", "spanworms", or "inchworms" after their characteristic looping gait. The [[cabbage looper]] and [[soybean looper]] are not inchworms but caterpillars of a different family. In many species of geometer moths, the inchworms are about {{convert|25|mm|1|abbr=on}} long. They tend to be green, grey, or brownish and hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs. When disturbed, many inchworms stand erect and motionless on their prolegs, further increasing this resemblance. Some have humps or filaments, or cover themselves in plant material. 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 carnivorous. Certain destructive inchworm species are referred to as "cankerworms".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Frank |first1=Steven D. |title=Bad neighbors: urban habitats increase cankerworm damage to non-host understory plants |journal=Urban Ecosystems |date=1 December 2014 |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=1135–1145 |doi=10.1007/s11252-014-0368-x |bibcode=2014UrbEc..17.1135F |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-014-0368-x |language=en |issn=1573-1642|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[2019 in insect paleontology#Other insects|In 2019]], the first geometrid caterpillar in [[Baltic amber]] was discovered by German scientists. Described under ''[[Eogeometer vadens]]'', it measured about {{convert|5|mm|in|abbr=on}} and was estimated to be 44 million years old, dating back to the [[Eocene]] [[Epoch (geology)|epoch]]. It was described as the earliest evidence for the subfamily of ''[[Ennominae]]'', particularly the tribe ''[[Boarmiini]]''.<ref name="Fischer_al.2019">{{cite journal |last1=Fischer |first1=Thilo C. |last2=Michalski |first2=Artur |last3=Hausmann |first3=Axel |year=2019 |title=Geometrid caterpillar in Eocene Baltic amber (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) |journal=[[Scientific Reports]] |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=Article number 17201 |doi=10.1038/s41598-019-53734-w |pmid=31748672|pmc=6868187 |bibcode=2019NatSR...917201F |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Looper.webm|thumbtime=0 |Locomotion of a looper
File:Geometridae-Dinakarr-10Jun11-DSC 0186.jpg|A geometrid caterpillar [[camouflaged]] as a broken twig
File:Geometridae locomotion.jpg|Caterpillar locomotion
File:Synchlora aerata caterpillar.jpg|''[[Synchlora aerata]]'' caterpillar dressed with pieces of flowers as camouflage
Geometrid Moths (Geometridae) caterpillar -2.jpg|Geometrid moth (Geometridae) "inchworm" caterpillar
Geometrid Moths (Geometridae) caterpillar.jpg|Geometrid moth (Geometridae) "inchworm" caterpillar
</gallery>