Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Nemoria Members: 157 NC Records

Nemoria elfa Ferguson, 1969 - Cypress Emerald

Nemoria elfaNemoria elfaNemoria elfaNemoria elfa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Geometrinae		Tribe:
Nemoriini		P3 Number:
91a0616		 MONA Number:
7029.00
Comments: One of 35 species in this genus that occur in North America (Ferguson, 1985), nine of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Ferguson (1969) included elfa within the Extramaria Species Group (Group IV), which in North Carolina also includes tuscarora and outina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Ferguson (1985)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1985); Wagner (2005; photograph but no description)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small Emerald, with both a reddish-brown cool season form and a green warm season form. The abdomen is unspotted and concolorous with the wing color. The tranverse lines are thin, white, and slightly waved to crenulate. Other markings are variable: the terminal line may be present or absent; fringes may be white or pink; the front and interantennal fillet may also be marked with red or can be green (Ferguson, 1985). Nemoria outina is similar in size to elfa, but is darker green, has fine white striations on its wings, and has a yellowish fringe. A continuous red terminal line is also present in outina, which is absent or broken in elfa, and the front is always red, not green, as is often true for elfa (Ferguson, 1985).
Wingspan: 16-17 mm (measured from Ferguson, 1985)
Forewing Length: 9-10 mm in males; 9-12 mm in females (Ferguson, 1985)
Adult Structural Features: The antennae of the males are pectinate, with the longest branches equal to 3-4 times the width of the shaft (Ferguson, 1985). Male genitalia -- illustrated by Ferguson (1985)-- are similar to other members of the Extramaria Group, but differ slightly in the shape of the costal process.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: The larva illustrated by Wagner (2005) is primarily green, but most Nemoria larvae are largely brown (Ferguson, 1985; color not described for elfa). Unlike most other Nemoria larvae, the integument is smooth rather than pilose or granulated. Ferguson (1985) noted that they are similar to N. saturiba, which also have a smooth integument, but have more bilobate heads and more prominent processes on the prothorax -- two large, conical points along with four smaller ones.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Restricted to the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills. A record from the Mountains needs to be verified but may represent N. tuscarora, not elfa.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Nemoria elfaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Flight Comments: Adults fly essentially continuously from early March to early November
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records all come from Cypress-containing habitats, including riverine, non-riverine, and tidal swamp forests dominated by Bald Cypress, and cypress savannas, Carolina Bays, and other shallow impoundments where where Pond Cypress is present but not Bald Cypress.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are probably stenophagous, feeding on Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) and Pond Cypress (T. ascendens) (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, our only feeding record is for Bald Cypress. - View
Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Cypress Swamps and Savannas
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4? SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is a habitat specialist, but cypress-containing habitats are still fairly widepsread in the state and this species currently seems fairly secure. However, both the vast non-riverine swamps on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula and most examples of Tidal Cypress Gum Forests are highly threatened by sea level rise and salt-water intrusion. Many Carolina Bays have been converted to agriculture or silviculture and even deeply-flooded riverine stands of Bald Cypress are subject to logging. Due to these threats, we recommend that populations of this species and other characteristic of cypress habitats be monitored for changes in their status.

 Photo Gallery for Nemoria elfa - Cypress Emerald

Photos: 20
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-28
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-14
Pamlico Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-13
Pamlico Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12
Pamlico Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-12
Pamlico Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-07-25
Durham Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-15
Scotland Co.
Comment: Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-14
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-17
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-03-07
Orange Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-03-27
Wake Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-03-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 3-4 mature cypresses occur about 100 meters behind our property along the banks of a still section of New Hope Creek that’s been backed up by a low dam		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-05-02
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Thomas C Reed on 2019-09-07
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Ed Corey on 2018-06-14
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Ed Corey on 2016-06-24
Washington Co.
Comment: 		Nemoria elfaRecorded by: Ed Corey on 2013-09-08
Washington Co.
Comment: