Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Campaea Members: 367 NC Records

Campaea perlata (Guenée, [1858]) - Pale Beauty

Campaea perlata
view caption 		Campaea perlataCampaea perlata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Campaeini		P3 Number:
91a1130		 MONA Number:
6796.00		 Other Common Names:
Fringed Looper, American Light Emerald
Comments: The genus Campaea contains 5 species found in North America, Europe, India and China. Our single species is distributed over much of North America.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina have been bar-coded and are very similar to those from throughout the country other than a divergent group from the Pacific Northwest.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner et al. (2001)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-large, translucent whitish to pale green Geometrid; the sole markings are the relatively straight, antemedian and posmedian lines, both of which are white and bordered medially by green or greenish-brown. Sexes are similar. The species is quite distinct and unlikely to be confused with any other North American species. Tetracis cachexiata has a similar shape but its ground color is off white and the single crossline is dark and quite different in color from that of Campaea.
Wingspan: 35-50 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: Male antennae are bipectinate except at the apex, which is simple (Forbes, 1954). Pectinations are naked and are attached at the base of the antennal segments. Female antennae are fasciculate. Both pairs of spurs on the hind tibiae are well-developed. Male and female genitalia are quite distinct from those of any species likely to be confused with Campaea.
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Caterpillars are twig mimics with lateral fringes, similar to many caterpillars of Catocala but quite different in shape (more rounded). An extra set of prolegs on A5 along with the fringe of hairs are distinctive (Wagner et al., 2001).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Associated with woodland habitats in the western half of our state, including monadnocks in the western Piedmont. The eastern limits of its distribution are largely unknown nor is it clear why it does not extend widely into the Piedmont or Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Campaea perlataAlamance 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.