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Inchworms are the larval or caterpillar stage of geometer moths [Geometridae family within the Lepidoptera order of butterflies and moths]. So they're members of a large family that includes over 26,000 species. About 1,200 of those species are native to North America.

Other names for this larval stage include looper and spanworm. All three names refer to the way in which the inchworm gets around. It lacks the middle pair of legs that most Lepidopteran caterpillars have. It therefore has just two sets of two or three legs at either end. So for example, it gets around by clasping the ground, leaf or stem with its front legs and moving its hind legs right behind them. Then the hind legs clasp the leaf and the front legs move forward, and so on.

It looks as though the larva is measuring the ground's, leaf's or stem's surface. Instead, it's actually moving along or towards its food source. Leaves are the most common food source. But there are some inchworm species that favor pollen, lichens or flowers. There are even some that are carnivorous. There are even others that are most destructive in their feeding, and are called 'cankerworms'.

But whatever the type, they represent a particularly vulnerable stage within the geometer moth life cycle. Specifically, larval stages tend to be attractive to such predators as birds and foraging mammals.

When it's disturbed or stressed, the inchworm clasps the surface with its hind legs and stands straight up and still.

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Q: What are facts about inchworms?
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