Moths of North Carolina
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151 NC Records

Glena cognataria (Hübner, [1831]) - Blueberry Gray Moth

Glena cognataria
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: BoarmiiniP3 Number: 91a0846 MONA Number: 6450.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the wings is light gray or pale grayish brown, with a violaceous or pinkish tint when fresh (Rindge, 1965). The antemedian and median lines are obscure or absent. The postmedian and terminal lines consist of separate dots but they are smaller than in cribritaria; the postmedian is often followed by a darker shade. As in cribritaria, the abdomen is marked by a series of double dark dots.
Wingspan: 13-15 mm (Rindge, 1965)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Associated with oak and heath barrens and bogs in the North, usually where the canopy is open or absent and there is an abundance of heaths (Wagner et al., 2001). In New York, both bogs and pine barrens are used, where the larvae feed primarily in areas with extensive populations of Vaccinium angustifolium and Vaccinium pallidum (NY NHP, accessed 2019-12-29), neither of which occur in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. In North Carolina, we have recorded this species primarily in Longleaf Pine dominated habitats, ranging from wet savannas to dry-xeric sandhills; the sandhills records, however, may actually come from pocosin ecotones rather than areas supporting xerophytic heaths. As in northern populations, we also have records from peatland habitats but not from maritime or deep swamp forest ecosystems.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been recorded on Blueberries and Cherries (D. Schweitzer, cited by Wagner et al., 2001). Sand Cherry and Pin Cherry are used in New England (NY NHP, accessed 2019-12-29), neither of which occur within the range of cognataria in North Carolina. Although Carolina Laurel Cherry might be used, heaths seem the most likely host plants to be used in here, with Vaccinium crassifolium in particular occurring in most areas where this moth has been observed. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Coastal Plain Wet-Dry Heath Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 S3S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Populations in New York may be declining due to fire suppression (NY NHP, accessed 2019-12-29)

 Photo Gallery for Glena cognataria - Blueberry Gray Moth

Photos: 1

Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-08-03
Onslow Co.
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