Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Geometridae Members:	Probole Members:	466 NC Records

Probole amicaria (Herrich-Schäffer, [1855]) - Friendly Probole

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Geometroidea

Family:
Geometridae

Subfamily:
Ennominae

Tribe:
Anagogini

P3 Number:
91a1183

MONA Number:
6838.00

Other Common Name:
Red-cheeked Looper

Species Status: This is a highly variable species, with differences in color and pattern existing between populations and between broods of the same population. Consequently, there has been a long history of disagreement among taxonomists as to how many species are actually represented (see Tomon, 2008, for a review). Based on a comparison of specimens across the range of this complex, Tomon found no differences in genitalia or other structural characters and found no separation into distinct lineages based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA. Furthermore, he found that offspring of females of one morphological type could produce offspring belonging to other forms. Apart from populations of "nepiasaria", no geographic or phenological correlations could be found to justify the treatment of the different forms as distinct species. We mainly concur with Tomon's results and treat the forms previously described as "alienaria", "nyssaria", and "amicaria" as belonging to a single species, with the name Probole amicaria having apparent taxonomic priority (see Tomon, 2008). However, there are still sufficient ecological and biogeographic data to indicate that Probole nepisiaria may be distinct, despite its apparent lack of genitalic or mDNA differences from P. amicaria. Consequently, we continue to treat nepiasaria separately, particularly since some disjunct populations are of possible conservation concern.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Wingspan: 25-30 mm (Forbes, 1948)

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
Immature 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: Forests, woodlands, shrubby fields, and wetlands (Wagner et al., 2001). Our records come from a wide range of hardwood-dominated habitats, with few coming from Longleaf Pine habitats or peatlands.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of hardwood trees and shrubs; also reported on spruce (Wagner et al., 2001). Specific hosts include maple (Acer), alder (Alnus), serviceberry (Amelanchier), Flowering Dogwood (Benthamidia florida), birch (Betula), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), beech (Fagus), willow (Salix), American Basswood (Tilia americana), and elm (Ulmus). In North Carolina, J.B. Sullivan reared a larva from an unidentified dogwood. - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

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 Probole amicaria - Friendly Probole

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-27 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-06-11 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-18 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-16 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-03 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-27 Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-07-11 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-29 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-29 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-25 McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-25 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell and Simpson Eason on 2024-06-21 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Owen McConnell and Simpson Eason on 2024-06-20 Graham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-19 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15 Scotland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-24 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-15 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-14 Buncombe Co. Comment: