Moths of North Carolina
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11 NC Records

Nematocampa baggettaria Ferguson 1993 - Baggett's Spanworm Moth

Nematocampa baggettaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: CassyminiP3 Number: 91a1463 MONA Number: 7010.10
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occur north of Mexico (Ferguson, 2008), two of which are found in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Ferguson (2008)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small orange-brown Geometrid. Much smaller than N. resistaria, with more rounded wings and with little or no reticulated patterning. In some specimens, the outer third of both wings is darkened, similar to the typical pattern of resistaria; others, however, are fairly uniform ocraceous yellow over the entire wing. Antemedian and postmedian lines are dark brown and there is usually a dark discal spot on each wing.
Adult Structural Features: Hind tibiae and spurs in the males are slender and unmodified, strongly contrasting with the swollen condition found in N. resistaria (Ferguson, 2008).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Early stages are unknown (Ferguson, 2008).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably restricted to the Coastal Plain and possibly to just the southern portion, including the Fall-line Sandhills
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
Flight Comments: Adults have been recorded in North Carolina throughout the growing season, from May to October
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from stands of hardwoods, including both riparian forests or dry-mesic forests growing on slopes. A few records also come from Longleaf Pine habitats, including sandhills, but all from sites located close to stands of wet hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Unknown (Ferguson, 2008) - View
Observation Methods: Comes at least to some extent to blacklights but we have no records from bait. Currently, we do not know enough about the habitats or abundance of this species to determine how well we are detecting its presence.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G2G4 S1S2
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation, however, does not confer any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Appears to be rare throughout its range (Ferguson, 2008) but more needs to be learned about its host plants and habitats in order to determine the underlying causes for its scarcity (NatureServe, 2015).

 Photo Gallery for Nematocampa baggettaria - Baggett's Spanworm Moth

Photos: 1

Recorded by: SPH on 1995-08-30
Pender Co.
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