Moths of North Carolina
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2 NC Records

Nemoria outina Ferguson, 1969 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: GeometrinaeTribe: NemoriiniP3 Number: 91a0619 MONA Number: 7032.00
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 outina within the Extramaria Species Group (Group IV), which in North Carolina also includes elfa and tuscarora.
Species Status: This species bar-codes as distinct; the North Carolina specimens were identified based on bar-coding (Sullivan, pers. obs.).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Ferguson (1969, 1985)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1985)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small, intensely green Emerald with slightly waved, thin white lines. The following characters are distinctive: forewings are finely striated with white; the terminal line is red and continuous; the fringe is yellowish; and the abdomen is unspotted and green (Ferguson, 1985). The front is always red, not green, as is often true for elfa (Ferguson, 1985). Ferguson also notes that the forewing shape is distinctive, with the margins less convex but the apex and anal angle more pointed than other species of Nemoria.
Forewing Length: 9-10 mm, males; 10-10.5 mm, females (Ferguson, 1985)
Adult Structural Features: Male genitalia are similar to other members of the Extramaria Species Group (Ferguson,1985). However, illustrations given in Ferguson indicate that the costal process is narrower and more curved than in elfa, the species it is most likely to be confused with.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Ferguson (1985) describes the larvae as rough and gray, matching the bark of the presumed host plant, Ceratiola ericoides (see Ferguson for more details, but no illustrations are given).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Recorded from only two sites in North Carolina located in the Outer Coastal Plain.
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: Appears to fly throughout the year in Florida (Ferguson, 1985); the only North Carolina records are from late May and June.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from an area dominated by Longleaf Pine savannas and flatwoods, bordering and containing inclusions of pocosins.
Larval Host Plants: Possibly monophagous: larvae were collected from Florida Rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides) (Ferguson, 1985). That species occurs primarily in Florida but extends up the coast to northeast South Carolina. Although the plant is unknown in North Carolina, the xeric, sandbarrens habitats with which it is associated occur in the general area where the moth was collected in Carteret County. This suggests either that Ceratiola could occur in that area or that the moth also feeds on other plant species associated with that habitat type. - View
Observation Methods: Too little data are available to determine how well this species comes to lights.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SU
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species is globally rare; Ferguson (1985) knew of only 30 specimens. It may also be an extreme habitat specialist, possibly feeding only on a single plant species that itself has a very small global range and tight habitat requirements. However, more surveys need to be conducted in North Carolina both to confirm its residency status and to determine its host plant and habitat relationships.