Wavy-lined emerald
The wavy-lined emerald is a small, dainty moth from North America. Its caterpillar is a master of disguise. It sticks little bits of flowers and leaves onto the spines on its back, so it looks just like part of the plant.
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Fun facts
Its caterpillar is an inchworm. It walks by making a loop with its body, like a measuring tape.
The flower bits on its back hide it from birds that hunt by looking carefully.
Its disguise can also fool smaller animals that try to find it.
It spends the winter as a half-grown caterpillar.
Most asked questions about Wavy-lined emerald
?Why does the camouflaged looper put flowers on its back?
To hide. With bits of the plant stuck to its spines, birds cannot see it.
?How big is the wavy-lined emerald?
It is small, with wings only about 17 millimetres across.
?What does the wavy-lined emerald caterpillar eat?
Flowers and leaves of asters, goldenrod, yarrow and other plants.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Synchlora aerata
- Named by
- Fabricius, 1798
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Geometridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Geometridae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Camouflaged looper
Where the facts come from
- Synchlora aerata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Kaldari. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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