Western Carpet or Green-striped Forest Looper - Melanolophia imitata (Geometridae), Lake Forest Park 1/5/2010
After initial perplexity have separated and tentatively named these two similar moths (both attracted to outside house lights) as above with the help of some good internet resources. The distinguishing features are that the Wester Carpet has a small blackish discal spot on the forewing, a more prominently scalloped post-median line - especially at the trailing edge and a sub-terminal line consisting of black spots (in Ectropis the ST line is better likened to a row of tooth marks). Both species are rather variable but the darkest wing marking on Ectropis crepuscularia is said to be the blackish area along the post-median line near the centre of the forewing. May yet revise this identification if I get to see more individuals.
Thanks to these websites for an excellent set of photographs for comparison and useful notes on identifying marks:
Moth Photographers Group (particularly John Davis's Moths of the Pacific Northwest which is proving indispensable)
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