Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Cabera Members: 13 NC Records

Cabera quadrifasciaria (Packard, 1873) - Four-lined Cabera

Cabera quadrifasciaria
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Caberini		P3 Number:
91a1090		 MONA Number:
6680.00
Comments: The genus Cabera as currently conceived is found in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Some 30 species are known of which 5 occur in the United States and 3 are found in North Carolina.
Species Status: Specimens from Pender County have been barcoded and match those from Maryland and elsewhere. Barcoding indicates this species is simply a divergent member of the genus and it does not seem to associate with any other genus. However, the divergent pattern, flight period, foodplant and genitalia argue instead that it might better be placed in its own new genus.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Rindge (1956)Technical Description, Immature Stages: J. Sogaard (BugGuide, 2017)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, cream colored Geometrid that is easily identified by the four dark gray, crosslines that run straight across the forewing. Sexes are similar. Scopula ordinata looks somewhat similar, but has more pointed forewings and lines that are all bent inward below the costa (ordinata also very rare in the range of C. quadrifasciaria occurring in rich wooded habitat not open pine and savanna habitat).
Wingspan: 26 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Forewing Length: 14-16 mm, males; 13-15 mm, females (Rindge, 1956)
Adult Structural Features: The genitalia are quite different from our other species of Cabera, particularly the aedeagus and female genitalia.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Caterpillars photographed on Leadplant by Jim Sogaard (BugGuide (201) may be the only observation of the immature stages of this species. As in C. erythemaria and C. variolaria, the larvae are green with pale subdorsal lines and a series of darker spots located on the dorsal surface of the abdomen. Wagner et al. (2001) report that C. variolaria and C. erythemaria overwinter as pupae, which seems likely for this species as well.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: The species has been found in the coastal counties north to Pender.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Cabera quadrifasciariaAlamance 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 Hanover 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.