Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Plagodis Members: 48 NC Records

Plagodis kuetzingi (Grote, 1876) - Purple Plagodis

Plagodis kuetzingiPlagodis kuetzingiPlagodis kuetzingi
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Anagogini		P3 Number:
91a1186		 MONA Number:
6841.00		 Other Common Name:
Purplish Plagodis
Species Status: Includes as a synonym P. nigrescaria Hulst (1887), which was included in Forbes (1948) key.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species is strongly two-toned, with the basal half of the forewing luteous, shaded with yellow-brown, and the outer half violet-gray (Forbes, 1948). The antemedian is obscure except for a dash located at the costal end. The dark postmedian fades out before reaching the costa (Forbes, 1948, as nigrescaria).
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.
Plagodis kuetzingiAlamance 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%20Hanover 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:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae reportedly feed on ash (Fraxinus) (Wagner et al., 2001). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Ash Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S1S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is likely to decline due to the destruction of ash forests by the Emerald Ash Borer

 Photo Gallery for Plagodis kuetzingi - Purple Plagodis

Photos: 15
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Lori Owenby on 2023-06-17
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2023-05-10
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-04-03
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-08
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-02
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-05-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-05-16
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2018-07-18
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-02
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, K Kittelberger on 2014-06-10
Avery Co.
Comment:
Plagodis kuetzingiRecorded by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, K Kittelberger on 2014-06-07
Avery Co.
Comment: