Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Idaea Members: 21 NC Records

Idaea bonifata (Hulst, 1887) - Fortunate Wave

Idaea bonifataIdaea bonifataIdaea bonifata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Sterrhinae		Tribe:
Sterrhini		P3 Number:
91a0052		 MONA Number:
7102.00		 Other Common Name:
Fortunate Idaea
Comments: One of thirty species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016). Thirteen have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Hulst (1887); Forbes (1948)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small (one of the smallest Geometrids) yellowish to tan Wave. The face is black and strongly contrasting with the buff-colored inter-antennal ridge. The ground color of the forewings is buff and is crossed by several darker fuscous lines that are irregular in course and often interrupted; a strong, dark discal spot is also present, as are dots at the base of the fringe (Forbes, 1948). Hindwings are similar.
Wingspan: 11-14 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: Apparently undescribed
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are gray, flattened, and stout (Forbes, 1948)
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 Mountains, but we have at least one record from the western Piedmont
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Idaea bonifataAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Flight Comments: Our records come from June and July
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from somewhat both fairly dry woodlands and riparian forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on dried flowers and are often pests in herbaria (Forbes, 1948; Robinson et al., 2010). - View
Observation Methods: Comes to lights to some extent.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have too few records to determine the distribution, abundance, host plants, or habitat affinities for this species in North Carolina. More such information is needed in order to assess its conservation status in this state.

 Photo Gallery for Idaea bonifata - Fortunate Wave

Photos: 20
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-08-30
Polk Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-08-30
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Tim Foley on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-06-18
Orange Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-19
Madison Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-06-09
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-22
Madison Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-09-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-08-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2016-08-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2016-06-01
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Idaea bonifataRecorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-07-03
Ashe Co.
Comment: