Common NameDog-face GeometerSeasonalityOne of the first geometrid moths to emerge in spring, flying from mid-April to early June in AlbertaIdentificationA large geometrid, the thin wings and proportionately small body gives it a "flimsy" demeanor. Ground colour light grey with black speckling, often with shades of brown along the forewing costa and apex. The jagged AM and PM lines resemble a dog's head in profile, with the white discal spot forming the eye. The extent of the forewing dark markings, including the transverse lines, can be extremely variable, resulting in well-marked, contrasting individuals to almost unmarked grey ones.
Scientific NameSpodolepis danbyiCommon Name
Dog-face Geometer
Seasonality
One of the first geometrid moths to emerge in spring, flying from mid-April to early June in Alberta
Identification
A large geometrid, the thin wings and proportionately small body gives it a "flimsy" demeanor. Ground colour light grey with black speckling, often with shades of brown along the forewing costa and apex. The jagged AM…
A large geometrid, the thin wings and proportionately small body gives it a "flimsy" demeanor. Ground colour light grey with black speckling, often with shades of brown along the forewing costa and apex. The jagged AM and PM lines resemble a dog's head in profile, with the white discal spot forming the eye. The extent of the forewing dark markings, including the transverse lines, can be extremely variable, resulting in well-marked, contrasting individuals to almost unmarked grey ones.
Life History
McGuffin (1981) details the early stages. The mature larva (illustrated in Wagner et al. 2001) shows an intricate pattern of black and brown, resembling tree bark or a twig. As a defensive mechanism, larvae are able…
McGuffin (1981) details the early stages. The mature larva (illustrated in Wagner et al. 2001) shows an intricate pattern of black and brown, resembling tree bark or a twig. As a defensive mechanism, larvae are able to "snap" their bodies, jumping off their resting perch. The pupa overwinters in a thin cocoon in leaf litter (Hardy 1957).
Conservation
Not of concern.
Diet Info
Larvae have variously been reported as feeding on willows (Salix, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) (McGuffin 1981). In Alberta, this species has been…
Larvae have variously been reported as feeding on willows (Salix, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga) (McGuffin 1981). In Alberta, this species has been found only in association with conifers, and is apparently absent from the aspen parkland and prairie regions.
Range
Alaska, Yukon and BC east to Nova Scotia, south to New York and California (McGuffin 1981, Wagner et al. 2001).
Citation
Page Citation for Spodolepis danbyi
Page Citation
"Spodolepis danbyi, University of Alberta E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum." University of Alberta Museums Search Site, https://search.museums.ualberta.ca/g/2-4197. Accessed 25 Jul. 2021.