Bug FAQPale Metanema Moth
Metanema inatomaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Pale Metanema, Yellow-lined Thorn
Source: Wikipedia
The pale metanema moth has a wingspan of about 25 to 36 mm. Adults fly from late May through mid-July. Its larvae mainly eat poplar leaves and occasionally willow.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Metanema inatomaria, called the pale metanema or yellow-lined thorn, belongs to the Geometridae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 25 to 36 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed mainly on poplar trees and sometimes on willow species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths are active from late May to mid-July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You’ll see adults on the wing in late spring through early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes east-central British Columbia, the southern Northwest Territories, Yukon, and stretches east to Nova Scotia and south to Mississippi, Texas, and Arizona.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 45 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Minnesota, Maine, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Colorado, Ohio.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do pale metanema caterpillars eat?
They mainly munch on the leaves of poplar trees and occasionally on willow.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult pale metanema moths active?
Adults fly from late May until about mid-July.
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/Metanema_inatomaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.