Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Iridopsis Members: 105 NC Records

Iridopsis humaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Small Purplish Gray

Iridopsis humariaIridopsis humariaIridopsis humaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Boarmiini		P3 Number:
91a0984		 MONA Number:
6584.00
Comments: One of 20 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico, seven of which have been recorded in North Carolina. In Rindge's 1966 revision of this group, 18 were placed in Anacamptodes, which he recognized as possibly representing the same genus as Iridopsis, and two in Iridopsis itself.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Anacamptodes humaria); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small gray and one of only two members of this genus with a bluish or purplish ground color. Distinguished from vellivolata by its smaller size and the black ring followed by a white band on the basal segment of the abdomen (Forbes, 1948). As in most other members of this genus, the postmedian has a definite bulge at C2 with a concavity above and below it, distinguishing this species from Anavitrinella pampinaria which also has a basal white band on the first segment of the abdomen (Forbes, 1948).
Wingspan: 28 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Forewing Length: 11-17, males; 13-17 mm, females (Rindge, 1966)
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.
Iridopsis humariaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are highly polyphagous, feeding on a wide variety of both woody and herbaceous species. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list birch (Betula), hickory (Carya), Sweet-fern (Comptonia peregrina), persimmon (Diospyros), Soybean (Glycine max), walnut (Juglans), pear (Pyrus), oak (Quercus), blackberry (Rubus), goldenrod (Solidago), and clover (Trifolium). The host plants used in North Carolina have not been recorded. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields
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 Iridopsis humaria - Small Purplish Gray

Photos: 14
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-29
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-04-27
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-04-07
Moore Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-07-23
Orange Co.
Comment: Wingspan = 33 mm		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2016-03-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: ASH on 2013-05-01
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Iridopsis humaria
Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2008-03-18
Camden Co.
Comment: