Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Scopula Members: 22 NC Records

Scopula cacuminaria (Morrison, 1874) - Frosted Tan Wave

Scopula cacuminariaScopula cacuminaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Sterrhinae		Tribe:
Scopulini		P3 Number:
91a0102		 MONA Number:
7157.00
Comments: One of 26 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Pohl et al., 2016), seven of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Covell (1970)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948; not detailed)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Wave, distinguished from other members of this genus by its pointed hindwings, cream ground color, and heavy brown spotting in the subterminal area (Covell, 1970). Discal dots on both sets of wings are dark brown and a series of dorsal dark spots runs from thorax down the abdomen. Both cacuminaria and aemulata have a postmedian consisting of a series of dots, but aemulata has a tan ground color and has rounded hindwings and lacks the spots in the subterminal area of the forewing. Some forms of S. limboundata have heavy shading or spots in the subterminal area and have somewhat angled hindwings, but they have a continuous postmedian line and the subterminal shading is usually diffuse. Scopula purata can have separate dark spots in the subterminal area but has a pure white ground color and has rounded hindwings.
Forewing Length: 8.3 - 10.7 mm, males; 9.2 - 11.5, females (Covell, 1970)
Adult Structural Features: Male and female reproductive structures are distinctive and are described and illustrated by Covell (1970)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Forbes (1948) describes the larvae as slender and green, but apparently no other descriptions have been made. Forbes describes the eggs as twice as high as wide and possessing eight high, vertical flanges. The color is green initially but turning scarlet; the flanges are contrasting white.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records come from the Outer Coastal Plain, with one record from along the New River in the Low Mountains
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Scopula cacuminariaAlamance 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 Hanover 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.