This is the largest lepidopteran family, with some 25000 species worldwide. In the Neotropics there are over 8500, and in Ecuador there are likely to be over 1500. About 800 species have been covered by Mariposas del Ecuador in volumes 22 and 23. Despite the large size of this family, it is likely that in Ecuador the Geometridae actually exceeds the Noctuidae in number of species. The variablility in shape and colour is even more pronounced than it is in temperate regions. If you are familiar with the family in temperate regions you will have no trouble recognising some species as Noctuids but others look like nothing that is found in more northerly latitudes. Although there are a lot of brown moths in this family, there are also some very striking ones, including the large Letis species and their relatives. Many species are named only as 'sp1', 'sp2', etc in Mariposas del Ecuador.

The gallery below shows many of the species that have been recorded at the Lodge. Click on each photo to see an enlarged picture, the species name, and more information.

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