Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Chloropteryx Members:
220 NC Records

Chloropteryx tepperaria (Hulst, 1886) - Angle-winged Emerald

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: GeometrinaeTribe: HemitheiniP3 Number: 910658.00 MONA Number: 7075.00
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occur north of Mexico (Ferguson, 1985), and the only one found in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Ferguson (1969, 1985)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1969, 1985); Wagner et al. (2001)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small olive-, gray-, or blue-green Emerald, with sharply pointed hindwings and a contrasting brown blotch on the second abdominal segment (Ferguson, 1985). The antemedian and postmedian lines are usually discontinuous, usually consisting of separate pales spots. Both lines are irregular, with a strong offset present in the middle of the line in the postmedian on both wings; the antemedian line is more evenly curved and only present on the forewing. A dark brown terminal line is present on both wings and the fringe is often checkered with brown. The costa may also have a series of brown spots on a contrasting yellow ground color, particularly in the outer half. Hethemia pistaciaria is the only Emerald in our area with a similarly pointed hindwing. However, the point is more rounded over in Hethemia than in Chloropteryx. It also lacks the dark brown blotch on the abdomen; lacks a dark brown terminal line and spots on the fringe; the postmedian is more regular, although also consisting of separate dots (Ferguson, 1985).
Forewing Length: 8-9 mm, males; 10-10.5 mm, females (Ferguson, 1985)
Adult Structural Features: The male antennae are broadly pectinate at the base and gradually tapering towards the apex; this easily distinguishes them from males of Hethemia pistaciaria, which are simple. As in other members of the Hemitheini, males possess only a single pair of spurs on the hind tibiae, but two are found in females. Both male and female genitalia are distinctive (see Ferguson, 1985, for details and illustrations).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are slender and lack the prominent dorso-lateral projections found in Nemoria, Dichorda, and Synchlora. They are similar, however, to other species of the Hemetheini, possessing a pair of horn-like projections on the head and prothorax and a conical projections on the supra-anal plate. The head is dark brown and the supra-anal projection is more elongated than in the other two species.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records come from the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont, but there are at least a few from the western half of the state, suggesting that this species could occur 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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