''Lambdina fiscellaria'', the mournful thorn or hemlock looper, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyleti ...

. It is found in North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

south to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is about 35 mm. The moth flies from August to early October depending on the location.Sogaard, Jim. (2009) Moths and Caterpillar of the North Woods. Duluth, MN:Kollath+Stensaas, p.53. The

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

feed on hemlock, balsam fir, white spruce, oak and other hardwoods.

Subspecies

There are three recognized subspecies: *''Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria'' – eastern hemlock looper *''Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa'' – western hemlock looper *''Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria'' – western oak looper or Garry oak looper File:Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria larva.jpg, ''Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria'' caterpillar File:Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa larva.jpg, ''Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa'' caterpillar File:Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria.jpg, ''Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria'' adult File:Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria larva.jpg, ''Lambdina fiscellaria somniaria'' caterpillar

References

External links

* * Ourapterygini Moths described in 1857 {{Ourapterygini-stub