Moths of North Carolina
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Nemoria Members:
67 NC Records

Nemoria bifilata (Walker, [1863]) - White-barred Emerald Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: GeometrinaeTribe: NemoriiniP3 Number: 910626.00 MONA Number: 7045.00
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 bifilata in his Bistriaria Species Group (VIII), which also includes bistriaria, rubrifrontaria, and mimosaria in North Carolina, as well as eight others in the West.
Species Status: Two subspecies have been described, of which we have only the nominate form; subpecies planuscula occurs in Texas (Ferguson, 1969, 1985).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Ferguson (1969, 1985)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1985); Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Emerald with a reddish-brown spring form and a green summer form. The abdomen of the nominate subspecies has a dorsal white line which is unique among our species of this genus. The wings are striated with white, have narrow, sometimes obsolete white lines, and possess a narrow red terminal line.
Forewing Length: 10.5-13.5 mm, males; 12-14 mm, females (Ferguson, 1985)
Adult Structural Features: The foretibiae are red, as in N. lixaria and bistriaria, but lack the transverse white band found in those species (Ferguson, 1985). The male genitalia are distinctive, with differences in the valve tips easily visible by brushing away scales at end of the abdomen: the distal process of the costa is rounded in bifilata but sharply pointed in bistriaria (see Ferguson, 1985, for additional details and illustrations).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larvae are light brown with a broken, blackish-brown dorsal stripe (Ferguson, 1985). The integument is coarsely pilose and the dorso-lateral processes characteristic of this genus are well-developed. The larvae of N. bistriaria are similar, but in bifilata the dorso-lateral processes are larger and more pointed and are not notched as in bistriaria (Ferguson, 1985). Additionally, the processes on the third abdominal segment are as large or larger than on the fourth segment, whereas they are equal or smaller in bistriaria.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: We have just one record from the Mountains. The rest come from the Coastal Plain or the eastern edge of the 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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