Bug FAQApple Looper
Phrissogonus laticostata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Source: Wikipedia
The apple looper is a small moth with a wingspan of about 15 mm. It lives in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Its caterpillars eat sunflower, St John’s wort, clematis and Acacia species, which can harm garden and tree plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Phrissogonus is a monotypic genus of Geometridae moths described by Butler in 1882.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan is roughly 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Hypericum perforatum (St John’s wort), Clematis aristata and various Acacia species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Phrissogonus is a monotypic genus of Geometridae moths erected by Butler in 1882.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Does the apple looper damage plants?
Yes, its caterpillars feed on sunflower, St John’s wort, clematis and Acacia, which can harm those plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrissogonus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.