Moths of North Carolina

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Nemoria bistriaria Hübner, 1818 - Red-fringed Emerald

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Geometroidea

Family:
Geometridae

Subfamily:
Geometrinae

Tribe:
Nemoriini

P3 Number:
91a0634

MONA Number:
7046.00

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 bistriaria in his Bistriaria Species Group (VIII), which also includes bifilata, rubrifrontaria, and mimosaria in North Carolina, as well as eight others in the West.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948; as N. rubrolinearia); Ferguson (1969, 1985)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1985); Wagner et al. (2001); Wagner (2005)

Adult Markings: A medium-sized Emerald with a reddish-brown winter form and a green summer form. The reddish-brown form is missing in lixaria and may be distinguished from the similar brown form of bifilata by the white mark found on the foretibiae (see Structural Features below). In the green form, the abdomen has a series of white spots, similar to N. lixaria but different from the solid white line found in bifilata. The lines are white and generally more even than in lixaria, particularly the postmedian line, which is usually dentate or waved in lixaria. A narrow red terminal line is present and the fringes may be slightly checkered with red but much less so than in lixaria.

Forewing Length: 10.5-12 mm, males; 11.5-13 mm, females (Ferguson, 1985)

Adult Structural Features: Bistriaria can be distinguished in either form from bifilata by their possession of a white transverse line on the fore-tibiae. Lixaria has a similar band but lacks the brown winter form. The male genitalia are distinctive, with differences in the valve tips easily visible by brushing away scales at end of the abdomen (see Ferguson, 1985, for details and illustrations).

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Immatures and Development: Larvae are coarsely pilose and possess prominent wing-like, dorso-lateral projections similar to several other members of this genus. Wagner (2005) recommends that larvae be reared to adulthood in order to identify them to species.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Occurs statewide, from the Barrier Islands to the High Mountains

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 are found throughout the growing season, from March to August, with two main peaks in activity but no clearly separated broods. A small, separate peak also exists in October, at least in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come from virtually all hardwood-dominated forests in the state, ranging from Maritime and Coastal Fringe Evergreen Forests along the Coast, bottomland forests elsewhere in the Coastal Plain, and both riparian and upland hardwood forests in the Piedmont and Mountains. Records are few to absent from Pond Pine Woodlands and Pocosins and from the xeric sandhill habitats in the Coastal Plain.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on many species of woody shrubs and trees. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list birch (Betula), Sweet-fern (Comptonia peregrina), walnut (Juglans), Sweet-gale (Myrica gale), and oak (Quercus). - View

Observation Methods: Comes well to blacklights but we have no records from bait or from flowers

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: Given its wide occurrence and use of multiple, common host plants and habitat types across the state, this species appears to be secure in North Carolina.

Photo Gallery for Nemoria bistriaria - Red-fringed Emerald

198 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-13 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-27 Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-23 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-06-23 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-06-17 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-15 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-29 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-10 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-19 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-17 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-04-05 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2025-04-05 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-03 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen on 2025-04-02 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-30 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-03-29 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-29 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-19 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephanie Fulbright on 2024-10-23 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephanie Fulbright on 2024-10-23 Guilford Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05 Transylvania Co. Comment: