Moths of North Carolina
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376 NC Records

Pero ancetaria (Hübner, 1806) - Hubner's Pero Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: AzelininiP3 Number: 911179.00 MONA Number: 6748.00 MONA Synonym: Pero hubneraria
Comments: One of nineteen species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Poole, 1987; Pohl et al., 2016), four of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Species Status: Grossbeck (1911) synonymized ancetaria with honestaria but kept marmoratus as a separate, more mottled species. Forbes (1948) followed Grossbeck but added barnesi, described by Cassino & Swett, 1922, as a fourth eastern species. Poole (1987), however, resurrected hubneraria and included both marmoratus and barnesi within it. Scoble (1999) restored the name ancetaria for this species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Pero hubneraria)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: In both sexes, the ground color of the forewings is dark, maroon brown; the subterminal area is pale but often mottled with darker patches; many specimens show at least a dark smudge located within the medial indentation of the postmedian line. The postmedian line appears to be more undulating in ancetaria than in honestaria, but the details need to be confirmed based on specimens confirmed by dissection. Brown individuals of Pero honestaria are similar, but lack the mottling in the subterminal area (Poole, 1987). Individuals of Pero morrisonia are also similar, possessing mottled subterminal areas, but show a contrast in the median area of the forewings between the light brown costa and the darker inner area (Poole, 1987). Some specimens may need to be dissected (or the eighth sternite brushed in males) in order to determine the species.
Wingspan: 32 mm (Forbes, 1948, as P. marmorata)
Adult Structural Features: Males can be distinguished by the wide, truncate tips of their abdomens; in females, the tip is bluntly rounded and a short, conical ovipositor is usually visible. In males, the eighth sternite is bilobed, the features of which are useful for identifying our three members of this genus. In honestaria, the lobes are narrow but rounded at the tip and are separated at their base by a u-shaped gap. In ancentaria, the lobes are wider and more-or-less diverging at the tip and separated by a much narrower cleft at the base. In morrisonaria, the two lobes are widely separated, strongly bifurcated at the tip, and with the outer process somewhat curved (see illustrations in Poole, 1987 and on the Moth Photographers Group website). Male and female genitalia are also distinctive.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Associated with forests, woodlands, and wooded swamps (Wagner et al., 2001). North Carolina records come from maritime forests, Longleaf Pine flatwoods and savannas, riverine and non-riverine swamp forests, peatlands, dry sand ridges, mesic hardwood forests, cove forests, and high elevation forests.
Larval Host Plants: Polyphagous on hardwood trees and shrubs, including alder, birch, and willow (Wagner et al., 2001) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 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 Pero ancetaria - Hubner's Pero Moth

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

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-07
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-31
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-20
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-16
Brunswick Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2024-08-07
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-28
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-27
Rowan Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-11
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-04-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-16
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-01
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-03-31
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-09
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-03-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-17
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-08-29
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-08-14
Wilson Co.
Comment: