Melanolophia imitata
Encyclopedia
The Western Carpet or Green-striped Forest Looper (Melanolophia imitata) is a moth
of the Geometridae family. It is found from southern California
, north to Alaska
and east to extreme south-western Alberta
.
The wingspan
is 34-40 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on the foliage of various conifer trees, but preferring Douglas fir, Tsuga
and Abies species.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Geometridae family. It is found from southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, north to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and east to extreme south-western Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 34-40 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on the foliage of various conifer trees, but preferring Douglas fir, Tsuga
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
and Abies species.