Moths of North Carolina
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52 NC Records

Idaea scintillularia (Hulst, 1888) - Diminutive Wave Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: SterrhinaeTribe: SterrhiniP3 Number: 910511.00 MONA Number: 7105.00
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 Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Hulst (1888)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: One of our smallest Geometrids and very strikingly marked in gray, yellow, and rufous. The large patch of dove gray covering the basal half of the forewing and a similar patch of mixed gray and rufous at the base of the hindwing contrast strongly with the bands of yellow and reddish-brown that cover the outer parts of the wings. The discal spots are black and conspicuous in some individuals.
Wingspan: 10 mm (Hulst, 1888)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Our records come mainly from the Piedmont, with one record from a brownwater floodplain along the Roanoke
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 fly during the summer, from mid-June to early September
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: While a large number of our records come from residential areas, all of our records for natural habitats come from riparian forests or other shoreline habitats. Most are associated with brownwater rivers and streams but at least one record comes from the Lumber River, a blackwater system.
Larval Host Plants: Apparently unrecorded but members of this genus generally feed on forbs (Robinson et al., 2010) - View
Observation Methods: Our records were all obtained from blacklight sampling
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Hydric Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W3
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have only a small number of records for this species. It appears to be at least somewhat specialized in terms of its habitats, which have generally not been heavily sampled. More surveys conducted along Piedmont rivers and floodplains may show that it is more common than it now seems. Identification of its host plants may also help clarify its conservation status in North Carolina.

 Photo Gallery for Idaea scintillularia - Diminutive Wave Moth

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

Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-08-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: JIM Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-09-10
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18
Caswell Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Tim Foley on 2023-08-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka, David George on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-06-18
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-06-14
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-06-12
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-10
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-08-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-08-13
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Lior Carlson, Brian Bockhahn on 2022-08-09
Rockingham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-08-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-07-24
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-21
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-06-11
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2022-06-05
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-06-05
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-06-05
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-08-22
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2021-07-20
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-05
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-08-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: