Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Metarranthis Members:
1 NC Records

Metarranthis mollicularia (Zeller, 1872) - No Common Name

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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: AnagoginiP3 Number: 911266.00 MONA Number: 6833.00
Comments: One of thirteen species in this genus currently recognized as occurring in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016). Twelve have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Packard (1876; p. 485, as Epione mollicularia); Forbes (1945, 1948)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, yellow, brown, and pinkish shaded Metarranthis with broad, scalloped wings. The median area of the forewings is clear, bright yellow. The basal and outer areas of the forewings and the outer part of the hindwings are shaded with rose or brown. No other species of Metarranthis has this combination of colors (Forbes, 1948).
Wingspan: 29.2 mm (= 1.15 in) (Packard, 1876)
Adult Structural Features: The male reproductive structures are illustrated by Forbes (1945).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Apparently undescribed
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Known in North Carolina only from the southern part of the Blue Ridge
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)

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Flight Comments: Collected in July in North Carolina
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The North Carolina record comes from a cedar barren
Larval Host Plants: Unknown - View
Observation Methods: Collected using blacklight
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S1S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species was first collected in Texas and most records are from the lower part of the Midwest, including Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky. Records even from that area appear to be very sparse, and the North Carolina specimen appears to be the only one known from east of the Appalachians. While its habits and host plants appear to be poorly understood, our record suggests it could be associated with dry-basic glades. In any case, it appears to be of significant conservation interest in both North Carolina and within the core of its range in the Midwest.