Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands
Itame quadrilinearia [Geometridae]
Wingspan 2.8 cm. Forewing is gray with fine dark lines, also with a bright yellow patch along the costal margin on the venter (not shown) of the forewing. This geometrid is common and widely distributed in western North America. Moths fly in midsummer. Caterpillars feed on the foliage of snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus) and deerbrush (Ceanothus integerrimus).
Similar species: Itame is a large genus with at least 30 species in western North America, many of the species are similar in appearance but differ in caterpillar host plants; Itame bitactata wings are gray with jagged black bands, caterpillars feed on foliage of currant (Ribes); Itame confederata wings are pale brown, caterpillars feed on foliage of cherry (Prunus); Itame plumosata wings are pale yellow with brown blotches, caterpillars feed on foliage of maple (Acer); Itame brunneata wings are brown-yellow, caterpillars feed on foliage of huckleberry (Vaccinium).
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