Many-lined Angle (Macaria multilineata)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Geometroidea
Family	Geometridae
Subfamily	Ennominae
Tribe	Macariini
Genus	Macaria

Scientific Name

Macaria multilineata

Common Name

many-lined angle

Maier, C.T.; Lemmon, C.R.; Fengler, J.M.; Schweitzer, D.F.; Reardon, R.C.; Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. FHTET-2004-01. March 2004. 151 p.

Description

Greenish body with dark and pale stripes interrupted by spots. Dark grayish green head; greenish prothoracic shield with large, dark green spot laterally; dark green thoracic legs, becoming increasingly yellow toward tip. Broken, dark green middorsal stripe with irregular white spots in breaks; white subdorsal stripe interrupted by dark olive-green spots that are sometimes extended to form another stripe. Fragmented, white spiracular stripe with dark olive-green spots in gaps; yellowish band on hind margin of segments. Up to 25 mm.

Food

Atlantic white-cedar and eastern red-cedar.

Life Cycle

One to two generations. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present from June to November.

Comments

This species and the similar curve-lined angle, Digrammia continuata, closely resemble the foliage of their food plants. Of the two, only the curve-lined angle has reddish marks near the spiracles. Another common caterpillar on cedars is Taylor's cedar looper, Eupithecia intricata taylorata. This last species has continuous subdorsal and spiracular stripes, whereas the other two have broken ones. The many-lined angle formerly was known as Semiothisa multilineata.