Geometrinae is the nominate subfamily of the geometer moth

Geometer moth

The geometer moths or Geometridae are a family of the order Lepidoptera...

 family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 (Geometridae). It is strongly split

Lumpers and splitters

Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...

, containing a considerable number of tribe

Tribe (biology)

In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...

s of which most are presently very small or monotypic

Monotypic

In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

 however. These small moths are often a light bluish green, leading to the common name of emerald moths, though a few species called thus are also found in the tribe Campaeini of the Ennominae

Ennominae

Ennominae is the largest subfamily of the geometer moth family with some 9,700 described species in 1,100 genera. They are usually fairly small moth species, though some grow considerably larger. This subfamily has a global distribution. It includes some species that are notorious defoliating...

.

There are about 2,300 described species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, mostly from the tropics

Tropics

The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately  N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at  S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...

.

Selected species

• Blotched Emerald
  Blotched Emerald
  The Blotched Emerald, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a found throughout Europe and the Near East. It has a scattered distribution in England and Wales but is absent from Scotland and Ireland....
  
  , Comibaena bajularia
• Large Emerald
  Large Emerald
  The Large Emerald, , is a moth, the type specimen for the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East....
  
  , Geometra papilionaria
• Essex Emerald
  Essex Emerald
  The Essex Emerald is a moth of the Geometridae family . It is distributed throughout the Palearctic region with records from many European countries. The British subspecies Thetidia smaragdaria maritima was last seen in 1991 and is now feared to be extinct. In 2004 the first record from Sweden was...
  
  , Thetidia smaragdaria

Genera incertae sedis

Some geometrine genera

Genera

Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...

 have not been definitely assigned to a tribe

Tribe (biology)

In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...

. These include:

• Bathycolpodes
  Bathycolpodes
  Bathycolpodes is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-Species:* Bathycolpodes holochroa Prout, 1915* Bathycolpodes marginata * Bathycolpodes perdistincta Herbulot, 2003-References:* *...
  
  
• Bustilloxia
  Bustilloxia
  Bustilloxia is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-References:* *...
  
  
• Eucrostes
  Eucrostes
  Eucrostes is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-Species:* Eucrostes disparata * Eucrostes indigenata -References:**...
  
  
• Kuchleria
  Kuchleria
  Kuchleria is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-References:*...
  
  
• Prosomphax
  Prosomphax
  Prosomphax is a very small genus in the geometer moth family . As of 2005, only four species had been described; all are found in the southern half of Africa...
  
  
• Xenochlorodes
  Xenochlorodes
  Xenochlorodes is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.-References:*...