Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Orthofidonia Members: 10 NC Records

Orthofidonia flavivenata (Hulst, 1898) - Yellow-veined Geometer

Orthofidonia flavivenata
view caption 		Orthofidonia flavivenataOrthofidonia flavivenataOrthofidonia flavivenata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Boarmiini		P3 Number:
91a1045		 MONA Number:
6430.00
Comments: A North American genus of three species found mostly in Eastern Canada and down through the mountains to North Carolina and Georgia. All three species have similar ranges and life histories. They do not appear to be closely related to any other Geometrid genera.
Species Status: While North Carolina specimens have not been barcoded, others from more Northern states have and are identical to the haplotypes for O. tinctaria.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: (Treated as a variety of tinctaria by Forbes, 1948)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2001)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is readily differentiated from the other two species of Orthofidonia because the forewing is a rich green color bisected by a median yellow streak from the base of the forewing to the margin. Sexes are similar.
Adult Structural Features: The number of cornuti is usually 4-6, otherwise the genitalia are much like those of the other two species in the genus.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are translucent yellowish-green (see Wagner et al., 2001, for illustrations and detailed description)
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably restricted to the Mountains
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Orthofidonia flavivenataAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: Single brooded in the spring but there are not a lot of records because few observers are active at higher altitudes in May and early June. Wagner et al (2001) report that the order of species’ appearance is O. flaviventata, then O. tinctaria and finally O. exornata with a week or so separating emergences.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from mesic stands of montane hardwoods, including Northern Hardwoods at high elevations and Cove Forests at lower elevations.
Larval Host Plants: The host plants are reported to be Viburnum for all three Orthofidonia species (Wagner et al., 2001) but given that the three species seem to occur together over most of their range, fly at approximately the same time of the year and utilize similar habitats, one would expect specialization perhaps of each species to a different species of Viburnum. Ferguson (1975) reported a larva on Possumhaw Viburnum (V. cassinoides) and Wagner et al. (2011) list Possumhaw Viburnum (V. nudum), but we do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Observation Methods: Adults come to light but doubtfully to bait and have not been reported to be day flyers.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S1S2]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have very few records for this species, but its host plants suggest that it should be fairly widespread in the Mountains. More data are needed on the host plants used in North Carolina, as well as its specific habitat associations, before its conservation status can be assessed.

 Photo Gallery for Orthofidonia flavivenata - Yellow-veined Geometer

Photos: 5
Orthofidonia flavivenataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-19
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Orthofidonia flavivenataRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-04-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Orthofidonia flavivenataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-16
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Orthofidonia flavivenataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Orthofidonia flavivenataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2014-04-24
Madison Co.
Comment: