Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Plagodis Members: 84 NC Records

Plagodis phlogosaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Straight-lined Plagodis

Plagodis phlogosariaPlagodis phlogosariaPlagodis phlogosariaPlagodis phlogosaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Anagogini		P3 Number:
91a1187		 MONA Number:
6842.00
Species Status: Includes P. purpurea as a synonym, which, along with form keutzingaria was included in Forbes' key (Forbes, 1948).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the forewings is bright orange ochre, with the median area often shaded in olive, and the subterminal area often dark and shaded with olive or pink (Forbes, 1948). The lines are dark brown, with the postmedian running straight across the wing, reaching the costa. The discal dot is dark and conspicuous, although small. A blackish patch is located at the anal angle.
Wingspan: 22-28 mm (Forbes, 1948)
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 phlogosariaAlamance 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: Forests and woodlands (Wagner et al., 2001). Our records come from primarily from montane hardwood forests but also from a few sites in the Piedmont, mostly from uplands stands.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on wide range of hardwood trees. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list alder (Alnus), apple (Malus), basswood (Tilia), birch (Betula), cherry (Prunus), hazelnut (Corylus), oak (Quercus), poplar (Populus), and willow (Salix). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Plagodis phlogosaria - Straight-lined Plagodis

Photos: 26
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-11
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2024-04-14
Orange Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-26
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-05-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-07-21
Graham Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2021-05-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-04-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2019-06-30
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-07-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf on 2015-07-22
Stanly Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2015-05-30
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: J. Merrill Lynch on 2015-05-10
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Plagodis phlogosaria
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2012-07-24
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: