280 days of Urbpandemonium #126

[urbpan]

The common tan wave Pleuroprucha insulsaria* has probably become much more "common," that is to say abundant, since humans drastically changed the landscape of North America. Its larva is an inchworm, a familiar group of caterpillars that mostly feed on the leaves and needles of various trees. This species also likes to eat a number of weedy plants that human activity favors: goldenrod, smartweed, sumac. But field observations and experiments show a much more preferred food source--corn silk. They don't eat enough to be considered a serious economic pest, but appear to be the only member of the Geometridae family to feed on the top US crop.

* I am vexed by this one. "Pleuro" means "side." "Prucha" doesn't appear in any of my references, but pops up as a German surname here and there. The genus was named by a German entomologist, but he died in 1888 and we can't ask him what he meant. "Insulsaria" literally means "unsalted" and probably is meant to convey "foolish" in this instance.