Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Selenia Members: 99 NC Records

Selenia kentaria (Grote & Robinson, 1867) - Kent's Geometer

Selenia kentariaSelenia kentariaSelenia kentaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Anagogini		P3 Number:
91a1174		 MONA Number:
6818.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Most often seen alive with the wings folded upright above the body. In that view, the basal half of the hindwing is typically light yellow and striated with rusty brown below the radial vein but pale gray above it to the costa (Forbes, 1948). The medial line is diffuse and brown and runs nearly straight from approximately three quarters out along the costa to two thirds out along the inner margin. This line is kinked where it intercepts the discal lunule, which is a gray-filled, excurved crescent. The postmedian runs parallel to the median and has a whitish or pinkish shade beyond it. A light brown area borders the white shade and is followed, when present, by a diffuse, white subterminal line. The space between the subterminal and outer margin is usually concolorous with the basal area.
Genitalia and other 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.
Selenia kentariaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records from a wide range of hardwood forests, including swamp forests, xeric sand ridges, cove forests, montane riparian forests, and high elevation forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of hardwood trees and probably shrubs. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list maple (Acer), birch (Betula), beech (Fagus), oak (Quercus), basswood (Tilia), and elm (Ulmus). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Selenia kentaria - Kent's Geometer

 49 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-04
Madison Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-04-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2024-04-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-08
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-01
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-03-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-03-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-03-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08
Wilkes Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Emily L Stanley on 2023-04-07
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-05
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2022-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-11
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-16
Madison Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-12
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-03-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-08-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-31
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-04-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-12
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Selenia kentaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-06
Madison Co.
Comment: