Apatelodes angelica (Grote) larvae feed on the leaves of ash 
and lilac from New England and southern Canada to Florida 
and westward into the Ohio River Valley. Full-grown larvae are 
50 to 62 mm. long. The head is rounded, brown, and mottled with 
light and dark shades. The body is gray and covered with a net- 
work of fine wavy black lines, except for the top of the thorax 
which bears two broad black transverse bands. The tops of seg- 
ments one and seven bear yellowish-green spots; long brown 
and white hairs project forward over the head fom the pro- 
thorax; and whitish hairs project forward from the middle of 
the second and third thoracic segments. Most of the rest of the 
body is sparsely clothed with short white and black hairs. Larvae 
are found in August and September. Winter is spent in the pupal 
stage on the ground. 
FAMILY GEOMETRIDAE 
GEOMETRID MOTHS 
This is one of the largest families in the order Lepidoptera, 
with some 1200 species occurring in the United States and Can- 
ada alone. The larvae are all distinguished by their peculiar 
method of locomotion, which consists of bringing the rear end up 
to the thoracic legs, forming a loop of the body, and then ex- 
tending the whole body forward. This characteristic, which re- 
sults from the absence of prolegs near the center of the body, 
has given rise to a number of common names for the group such 
as geometers, measuring worms, inch-worms, loopers, canker- 
worms, and spanworms. The larvae of many species have the in- 
teresting habit of standing nearly erect on the posterior prolegs 
when disturbed. Motionless in this position, they are almost in- 
distinguishable from small twigs or spurs. All members of the 
family are foliage feeders, and the majority inhabit forests and 
areas bordering woodlands. 
Brephos infans (Moeschler) occurs from Coast to Coast in 
southern Canada and in the Northern States south to Pennsyl- 
vania. Its hosts are listed as white and gray birches and poplar. 
The adult is brown-colored and has a wingspan of about 25 mm. 
Mature larvae are green to reddish-brown and about 25 mm. long. 
Two fine, yellowish lines run the length of the dorsum, and there 
are two similar lines plus a broad subspiracular stripe on each 
side. Larvae are found from May to July, and winter is spent 
in the pupal stage. 
The fall cankerworm, Alsophila pometaria (Harr) (fig.128), 
occurs from the Maritime Provinces to Alberta in southern Can- 
ada, and throughout the Eastern States south to North Carolina 
and west to Missouri and Montana. Its preferred hosts appear 
to be elm and apple, but it also attacks many other hardwoods 
such as hickory, maple, ash, beech, boxelder, basswood, cherry, 
and the oaks. The male moth is brownish-gray and has a wing- 
spread of 25 to 35 mm. The forewings are rather glossy with 
purplish reflections and are crossed by two faint, jagged, whitish 
bands. The hindwings are grayish-brown, and each has a faint 
discal dot. Female adults are wingless and about 12 mm. long. 
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