Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Synchlora Members:
230 NC Records

Synchlora frondaria Guenée, [1858] - Southern Emerald Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: GeometrinaeTribe: SynchloriniP3 Number: 910640.00 MONA Number: 7059.00
Comments: One of eight species in this genus that occur north of Mexico (Ferguson, 1985), two of which are found in North Carolina.
Species Status: Three subspecies have been described, of which only the nominate form occurs in North Carolina (Ferguson, 1985).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948, as denticularia); Ferguson (1969, 1985)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1969, 1985); Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species and Synchlora aerata are both small, bright green Emeralds, with narrow white antemedian and postmedian lines, a dorsal white stripe on the abdomen, and with little or no red on the wings (Ferguson, 1985). In S. frondaria, the lines are conspicuously dentate and there is a strong outward bulge in the postmedian of both wings located between M3 and Cu2 (some aerata show a slight offset in the postmedian on the hindwings but not on the forewings). In S. aerata, the lines on the wings are fairly even, particularly on the forewing, and are usually only slightly dentate or waved, if at all. Nemoria bifilata has a similar white abdominal stripe, but has a red terminal line that is absent in both of our Synchlora species.
Forewing Length: Average winglength = 8.0 mm, males; 9.9 mm, females (Ferguson, 1985)
Adult Structural Features: Antennae of the males are broadly bipectinate basally but become abruptly simple in the outer half, unlike the more uniformly bipectinae antennae of Nemoria. Male reproductive structures are also easily distinguished from those of our other species of Geometrinae in their lack of a terminal process on the uncus. Both male and female reproductive structures, however, are indistinguishable between our two species of Synchlora (Ferguson, 1985).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are mottled brown and black with a series of white stripes. Most characteristically, however, is their use of fragments of petals and other plant fragments to decorate their dorsal surface, providing a strong degree of camouflage on flowers upon which they feed (Ferguson, 1985; Wagner et al., 2001; Wagner, 2005). Larvae of both species of our Synchlora are very similar and cannot be identified without rearing them to adulthood (Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide
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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