Moths of North Carolina
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Euchlaena Members:
308 NC Records

Euchlaena obtusaria (Hübner, [1813]) - Obtuse Euchlaena

Euchlaena obtusariaEuchlaena obtusariaEuchlaena obtusariaEuchlaena obtusaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Angeronini		P3 Number:
91a1206		 MONA Number:
6726.00
Comments: One of sixteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016), twelve of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Specimens that resemble E. muzaria occur in North Carolina populations and are very similar to certain E. obtusaria phenotypes. J.B. Sullivan (pers. comm.) has doubted for years that E. muzaria exists as a separate species in North Carolina, and barcode data now seems to support this view. Here, we only recognize E. obtusaria and treat phenotypes that were previously recognized as E. muzaria as being E. obtusaria.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the wings is smooth-looking but can be lightly dusted with fuscous. The base is whitish or gray and shading into darker gray or brown in the outer third (Forbes, 1948). The postmedian is often weak or obscure, although sometimes contrasting when the base is pale.
Adult Structural Features: The margins of the wings are generally smooth but with sharper teeth at M1 and particularly at R and M3 (Forbes, 1948)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Euchlaena obtusaria
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: Our records come from a wide range of forests and shrublands, including bottomland and upland hardwoods, peatlands, heathlands, and longleaf pine woodlands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are apparently polyphagous. Forbes (1948) lists rose as a host plant. McGuffin (1981) cites Packard as listing Western Impatiens. Wagner et al. (2001) additionally include birch (Betula) and Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and state that many woody species are probably used. We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Euchlaena obtusaria - Obtuse Euchlaena

59 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-30
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-30
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-25
Columbus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-25
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-25
Wilson Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-07-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-10
Watauga Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-26
McDowell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-26
Yancey Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell and Simpson Eason on 2024-06-21
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-28
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-26
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-25
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-14
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-04-10
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-04-10
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-20
Transylvania Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn on 2023-03-28
New Hanover Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2022-06-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-17
Chatham Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2022-05-14
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2022-05-03
Durham Co.
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