Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
described in 1773 by Drury, who originally placed it in genus Phalaena
Explanation of Names
CINGILIA: from the Latin "cingula" (a girdle); perhaps a reference to the dark dots that girdle the perimeter of the wings
CATENARIA: from the Latin "catenarius" - from "catena" (a chain); a reference to the "chain" of black dots on the wings of the adult and/or the sides of the larva, and the origin of the common name Chain-dotted (or Chainspotted) Geometer
Numbers
the only species in this genus in North America
Identification
Adult: wings white to pale brown or grayish; AM, PM, and terminal lines composed of black dots (AM and PM lines may be continuous in some individuals); top of head and "shoulders" yellow, with remainder of thorax and abdomen whitish to grayish; wings of some specimens may be dark gray, as shown here:
typical...................gray form
Larva: pale yellow to greenish-yellow; several white spots along side, each white spot bordered by a black spot before and after; lateral spots may be superimposed on three black-edged white stripes running length of body; head yellow with several black spots
Range
Nova Scotia to Maryland, west to Kansas and Alberta
Habitat
woodlands, barrens, bogs, heathlands
Season
adults fly from late August to early October
larvae present from June to August
Food
larvae feed on a variety of shrubs and trees: alder, bayberry, birch, blueberry, bog laurel, cranberry, fir, huckleberry, leatherleaf, maple, oak, pine, poplar, sweetfern, sweet gale, tamarack, white cedar, willow
Life Cycle
overwinters as an egg, which is laid in the fall; larvae emerge in June and pupate in August; pupa stage lasts about a month; one generation per year
Remarks
Larvae hang motionless straight down from a twig during the day, then feed in the evening and at night.
"Locally abundant to the point of being a pest in some years, yet becoming increasingly rare over much of its former range in the Northeast." (Wagner et al; 2001)
Print References
Wagner, Ferguson, McCabe, and Reardon. Geometroid Caterpillars of Northeastern and Appalachian Forests. 2001.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with photographs of pinned adults
pinned adult images (CBIF) Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility
live adult images (Lynn Scott, Ontario)
