Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFGeometridae Members:
Digrammia Members:
245 NC Records

Digrammia continuata (Walker, 1862) - Curve-lined Angle

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: MacariiniP3 Number: 910789.00 MONA Number: 6362.00 MONA Synonym: Semiothisa continuata
Comments: One of 49 species in this genus recorded in North America (Ferguson, 2008), six of which occur in North Carolina. Digrammia continuata was placed in the cedar-feeding Continuata Species Group by Ferguson, of which only continuata occurs in the East.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Semiothisa continuata); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Ferguson (2008)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2001); Ferguson (2008)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Geometrid with distinctive thick black antemedian and postmedian lines that strongly contrast with pale gray ground color. Some specimens of D. gnophosaria also have conspicuously dark lines but the ground color is usually brown rather than gray and they also possess an ocellate reniform along the median line, which is usually faint or missing in continuata.
Adult Structural Features: Genitalia are distinctive among at least the eastern species of Digrammia; western species of the continuata group, however, may be difficult to separate (Ferguson, 2008).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are a bright pea- or lime-green with a broken pattern of pale stripes and dark markings that help them blend in with the foliage of cedars on which they feed (Wagner et al., 2001; Ferguson, 2008). The ventral surface usually have brown shadings that vary from reddish-brown to tan; these are usually missing in the larvae of Macaria multilineata which are otherwise similar in coloration and also feed on cedars (Ferguson, 2008).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Our records come entirely from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, although Red Cedar -- the host plant for this species -- occurs in the Mountains as well.
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Adults are present throughout the year in the Coastal Plain without any obvious peaks in activity. Records from the Piedmont appear to follow a similar pattern, but there are too few to be sure.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Occurs most abundantly on barrier islands in association with Southern Red Cedar. Records are sparser in the Piedmont, where it occurs in dry woodlands, glades, and forest edges in association with Eastern Red Cedar. Only a few records come from sites where Atlantic White Cedar is the only native cedar.
Larval Host Plants: Stenophagous, feeding on cedars (Wagner et al., 2001; Wagner, 2005; Ferguson, 2008). In North Carolina, most of our records come from sites with either Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) or Southern Red Cedar (J. f. var. salicicola); only a very few records come from areas where only Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) occurs.
Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights but rarely to bait.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Cedar Woodlands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Although fairly specialized in terms of host plants, this species occurs in several kinds of cedar-containing habitats, including disturbed areas. It does not appear to be of conservation concern in North Carolina.

 Photo Gallery for Digrammia continuata - Curve-lined Angle

73 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Teper, David George, J. Niznik on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-05-12
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-01
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: chuck smith on 2023-03-18
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-02-24
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-01-12
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-10-16
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-09-22
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2022-09-17
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-07
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-02
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-14
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-11
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-07-11
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2022-06-09
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L.M. Carlson, Becky Watkins on 2022-06-09
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-05
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-06-02
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-03-03
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-03-02
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-02-22
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2021-10-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-29
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-06-07
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-25
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-13
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-02
Guilford Co.
Comment: