Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFGeometridae Members: Pleuroprucha Members: 659 NC Records

Pleuroprucha insulsaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Common Tan Wave

Pleuroprucha insulsariaPleuroprucha insulsariaPleuroprucha insulsariaPleuroprucha insulsaria
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Sterrhinae		Tribe:
Cosymbiini		P3 Number:
91a0017		 MONA Number:
7132.00
Species Status: Forbes (1948) included Pleuroprucha> in the Tribe Cosymbiini
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The head, thorax, and wings are all concolorous reddish or greenish-gray; a white bar between the antennae the only contrasting mark (Forbes, 1948). The discal dot is obscure and the postmedian is usually faint, but wavy and marked with points at the veins. The terminal line is fine and black.
Wingspan: 15 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: Males with hind tibiae with end spurs only (4 present in females) and otherwise not modified (Forbes, 1948). The forewings are unique among the Sterrhinae in lacking an accessory cell and the radial veins all originating from a common stalk. The hindwing is distinctively arc-shaped. Male antennae are pectinate.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Pleuroprucha insulsariaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Grasslands, fields, and the edges of woodlands (Wagner et al., 2001). We have records from essentially all types of habitats in North Carolina, from maritime forest and grasslands, to Longleaf Pine communities, to peatlands, to bottomlands, to Spruce-Fir forests, to successional fields.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, frequently found on goldenrods (Solidago) but also reported on a wide range of woody and herbaceous plants. Wagner (2004) specifically lists Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), ragweed (Ambrosia), indigo-bush (Amorpha), asters, chestnut (Castanea), bittersweet (Celastrus), tickseed (Coreopsis), bedstraw (Galium), sweetclover (Melilotus), oak (Quercus), willow (Salix), goldenrod, and corn. In North Carolina, we have a rearing record of a larva that was feeding on Chinese Elm (Ulmus parviflora). J.B. Sullivan also recorded larvae on Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) and Laurel Oak (Q. laurifolia). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Pleuroprucha insulsaria - Common Tan Wave

 305 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Larry Chen, Sarah Toner on 2025-09-06
Beaufort Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: David George on 2025-09-03
Durham Co.
Comment: feeding on Rudbeckia laciniata
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: David George on 2025-09-03
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: David George on 2025-09-03
Durham Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-01
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-08-26
Durham Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-13
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Claudia Nielson on 2025-08-13
Forsyth Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-28
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: David George, Dale Morgan, Patrick Coin, Julie Tuttle, Becky Watkins, et al. on 2025-07-26
Orange Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-13
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-07-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-03
Wake Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-07
Durham Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-03
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-05-22
Moore Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-05-22
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-05-13
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Pleuroprucha insulsaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment: