Moths of North Carolina
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37 NC Records

Hypomecis longipectinaria A. Blanchard & Knudson, 1984 - Broadly Pectinate Hypomecis

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: BoarmiiniP3 Number: 910855.00 MONA Number: 6439.10
Comments: One of five members of this genus that occur in North America (Rindge, 1973; Blanchard and Knudson, 1984). Four species have been recorded in North Carolina, although we regard gnophosaria and umbrosaria as conspecific.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Blanchard and Knudon (1984)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Gray. The ground color is pale gray to clay colored, variably dusted with darker gray; some (probably the majority) are pale with strongly contrasting lines and spots but others are fuscous, with the markings much less prominent. The postmedian is usually well-developed, dentate, and outwardly curving around the cell; the hollow discal spots typical of this genus are also typically prominent on both pairs of wings. These features are similar to those of other members of this genus, as is the range of variation. Structural features are critical in diagnosing this species and photographs are generally not conclusive except where the length of the pectinations of the male antennae are clearly displayed.
Forewing Length: 15-19.5 mm (Blanchard and Knudson, 1984)
Adult Structural Features: The antennae of the male are very broadly pectinate, with the length of the individual pectinations greater than in other members of this genus (Blanchard and Knudson, 1984). It is usually safer, however, to examine the male reproductive structures, where the length of the setae originating from the posterior process of the tegumen are over twice the length of the process; in H. gnophosaria/umbrosaria, the lengths are about equal and in H. buccholzaria the setae are about 1.5 times as long as the processes (Rindge, 1973; Blanchard and Knudson, 1984).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Not described by Blanchard and Knudson (1984)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Our records come from the Outer Coastal Plain to the foothills of the Blue Ridge
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: Possibly bivoltine, with a peak in April and May and another cluster in July and August
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The majority of our records come from bottomland hardwoods, with a few also coming from stands of mesic forest adjoining tracts of bottomlands. None come from drier stands of upland hardwoods or from either peatland or longleaf pine-dominated communities. Blanchard and Knudson (1984) stated that their specimens came from mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, contrasting with H. gnophosaria/umbrosaria which were also found in pure stands of hardwoods; our records, however, suggest the opposite.
Larval Host Plants: Unknown, but other members of this genus feed on hardwood trees and shrubs (Wagner et al., 2002) - View
Observation Methods: All of our records come from 15 watt blacklight traps
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3->[]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G3G4 S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: NatureServe states that this species is poorly known and with few records away from the Gulf Coast. However, we now have records from most of the state and from fairly common types of habitat. Although this species was placed on the Natural Heritage Program Watch List following the initial discovery of this species in the early 1990s - mainly because its distribution and status needed to be better understood -- we now recommend that it be taken off that list and ranked as S4 at the state level.

 Photo Gallery for Hypomecis longipectinaria - Broadly Pectinate Hypomecis

Photos: 9

Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-21
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tim Foley on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-21
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2016-04-14
Harnett Co.
Comment: Dark form. Identity confirmed by dissection		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2016-04-14
Harnett Co.
Comment: Left half of tegumen; setae length > 2x process length
Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2014-07-24
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: