Moths of North Carolina
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Tornos Members:
17 NC Records

Tornos cinctarius Hulst, 1887 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: BoarmiiniP3 Number: 91a0883 MONA Number: 6485.00
Comments: One of seven species in this New World genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Rindge, 1954), three of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Rindge (1954)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, dark brown Geometrid, with narrow, elongated wings held horizontally at rest. Unlike other members of this genus, sexes are identical in color and pattern. The ground color of the forewings is ochraceous, overlain and somewhat mottled with dark brown. Both the antemedian and postmedian lines are black and prominent; the discal spot is dull black and elongated (Rindge, 1954). Tornos colopacinaria and T. abjectarius are similar in size and form but are lighter in color, have less prominent lines, and are sexually dimorphic.
Wingspan: 22 to 28 mm, males; 24 to 29 mm, females (Rindge, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: A bristle tuft on the third abdominal segment and a tibial hair pencil of the males are characters that separate cinctarius from both scolopacinaria and abjectarius (Rindge, 1954). Male and female reproductive structures are described and illustrated by Rindge (1954), with keys provided for both sexes covering all species in North America.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Unknown to Rindge (1954)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: All of our records come from the southern half of the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills
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: Appears to have separate spring and summer flights.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: All of our records come from Longleaf Pine dominated habitats or from stands of hardwoods either embedded or adjoining Longleaf habitats. With respect to moisture regimes, habitats include both xeric sandhills and wet savannas.
Larval Host Plants: Unknown (Rindge, 1954). - View
Observation Methods: Appears to come well to blacklights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fire-maintained Herblands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3->[SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU->[S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species appears to be strongly associated with Longleaf Pine habitats. These habitats have undergone a reduction in range of 90% or more since colonial times and are still being converted to silviculture and other uses and particularly to the effects of suppression of the natural fire regime upon which they depend. Our records for this species all come from areas where these habitats still occupy large landscapes where a relatively natural fire regime - augmented by prescribed burning - still persists. Although knowledge of the host plants used by this species would help refine our understanding of its conservation needs, this species appears to be fairly rare even within its preferred habitats and probably should be listed as Significantly Rare in North Carolina.