Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Digrammia Members:
18 NC Records

Digrammia ordinata (Walker, 1862) - Amorpha Angle


Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: MacariiniP3 Number: 910803.00 MONA Number: 6358.00 MONA Synonym: Semiothisa ordinata
Comments: One of 49 species in this genus recorded in North America (Ferguson, 2008), six of which occur in North Carolina. Digrammia ordinata, eremiata, and ocellinata were placed in the legume-feeding Eremiata Species Group by Ferguson.
Species Status: A medium-sized, pale, powdery grayish-brown Geometrid with rounded or only slightly angled wings. The antemedian, median, and postmedian lines are usually prominent, with the postmedian usually consisting of a chain of small dark dots (Ferguson, 2008). Specimens of D. ocellinata may be similar but usually have a more falcate apex to the forewing and a more angled outer margin on the hindwing (Ferguson, 2008). Specimens of D. eremiata usually have more continuous and well developed lines than ordinata; the ground color is also usually darker beyond the postmedian line in eremiata, whereas it remains pale in ordinata (Forbes, 1948). Worn or otherwise poorly marked individuals of these species may need to be dissected in order to determine their identities.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Ferguson (2008)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (2008)                                                                                 
Adult Structural Features: Genitalia are distinctive in both sexes (described and illustrated in Ferguson, 2008). Antennae are simple in both sexes. Males have swollen hind tibiae.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records come from the Coastal Plain but records from Mecklenburg County indicate that it could also be present in at least scattered locations throughout the Piedmont
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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