Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Homorthodes Members:
56 NC Records

Homorthodes furfurata (Grote, 1875) - Northern Scurfy Quaker Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: EriopyginiP3 Number: 933088.00 MONA Number: 10532.00
Comments: Like the North American genus Protorthodes, Homorthodes has some 15 named species, mostly from the southwestern United States but with two occurring in North Carolina.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina have been barcoded and are very similar to those from elsewhere in the species’ range. There is no hint of unrecognized species. H. lindseyi was thought to be a form of this species for many years but the genitalia and barcodes are quite distinct.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Neil (1983)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized brownish moth often with a distinct black curved line through the median area of the forewing. Likely to be confused with Pseudorthodes vecors (the form lacking a white reniform), Orthodes cynica, and Protorthodes oviduca. H. furfurata lacks traces of reddish coloring and is usually smaller than the other species. Sexes are similar.
Adult Structural Features: Unlike Protorthodes, the male antennae are fasciculate, not serrate or pectinate. The male genitalia are readily distinguished from those of Orthodes, Protorthodes and Pseudorthodes by the expanded distal end of the valves. Female genitalia are also different in these genera. H. lindseyi has very similar male and female genitalia, but the males may be differentiated by the shape of the distal end of the valves; females are more difficult to distinguish using genital characters.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are blackish with a small head and swollen posteriorly (see Neil, 1983, for a detailed description and illustrations). Distinguishable from H. lindseyi by structural characters.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Restricted to the Mountains in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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