Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Tornos Members: 41 NC Records

Tornos scolopacinaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Dimorphic Gray

Tornos scolopacinaria
view caption 		Tornos scolopacinaria
view caption 		Tornos scolopacinaria
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Boarmiini		P3 Number:
91a0880		 MONA Number:
6486.00
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: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is strongly sexually dimorphic. In subspecies scolopacinarius (the one in our area), males are "gray or grayish brown with maculation obsolescent" (Rindge, 1954). In females, the ground color is creamy or white, with the maculation better defined than in the males. In both sexes, the extradiscal line of upper surface of hindwings is more or less weakly defined and weakly toothed on the veins.
Adult Structural Features: Male and female reproductive structures are described and illustrated by Rindge (1954), with keys provided for both sexes covering all species in North America
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Tornos scolopacinariaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The majority of our records come from Longleaf Pine savannas and flatwoods. Other records come from in or near old fields.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been recorded on White Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides = Aster multiflorus), Lobed Tickseed (Coreopsis auriculata), and Largeflower Tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora) (Rindge, 1954); other members of the Compositae seem likely to be used as well. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Successional Fields and Forblands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Tornos scolopacinaria - Dimorphic Gray

Photos: 11
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2025-04-04
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-28
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-31
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-30
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-09
Moore Co.
Comment:
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-06-08
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: Robert Gilson on 2015-07-15
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Tornos scolopacinaria
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-03-22
Camden Co.
Comment: