Moths of North Carolina
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Besma Members:
94 NC Records

Besma endropiaria (Grote & Robinson, 1867) - Straw Besma Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: OurapteryginiP3 Number: 911323.00 MONA Number: 6884.00
Comments: This genus currently contains 7 species named from Central and North America, and additional neotropical species await description. Two species occur in North Carolina.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina have been sequenced and are similar to those from throughout the range. The species is only about 1.4% different from B. quercivoraria, perhaps indicating a more recent radiation. Interestingly, though Rupert (1944) defined the differences, they were considered conspecific by some authorities into the eighties (e.g., McGuffin, 1987).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Rupert (1944); Forbes (1948)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner et al. (2001)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Both males and females are a pale translucent straw yellow with slightly darker yellow-brown antemedian and postmedian lines and a partial subterminal line. The wings are angled at vein M3, resembling the similarly pale yellow Lambdina fiscellaria, but the postmedian lines is more evenly curved or relatively straight rather than sharply bent. Size, wing-angulation, and pattern of lines are similar to that of Besma quercivoraria, but the lines tend to be darker in that species, the wings more opaque, and a dark discal dot is usually present (Forbes, 1948). There is also more sexual dimorphism in quercivoraria, with males typically heavily shaded with yellowish-brown in the subterminal area (Forbes, 1948). While males of the two species are relatively easy to distinguish, some pale forms of female quercivoraria may be impossible to separate from endropiaria, although most female quercivoraria possess a light sprinkling of yellow-brown or reddish scales, sharper lines, and a dark discal spot.
Wingspan: 30-35 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: The genitalia of both Besma species are quite similar but there are apparent differences in the valve tips and the female genitalia.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The greenish caterpillar, with dorsal warts on A6 and reddish patches on either side of the head, is distinct (illustrated by Wagner et al., 2001).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records come from the Low Mountains, but there are at least a few populations located in the eastern Piedmont.
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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