Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Scopula Members:
30 NC Records

Scopula purata (Guenée, [1858]) - Chalky Wave Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: SterrhinaeTribe: ScopuliniP3 Number: 910566.00 MONA Number: 7158.00
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)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Covell (1970)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A strikingly and distinctively patterned, medium-small Geometrid. The ground color is a shiny, pure white, covering the basal and medial areas of the forewing. The inter-antennal ridge is also pure white as is the thorax and the abdomen except for a dorsal row of dark spots. The antemedian is represented by a few black dots and the median line is absent. The postmedian, however, is blackish-brown and continuous over most of the wing, fading out towards the costa. Beyond the postmedian, the subterminal area is filled with the same blackish-brown shade, coalescing into a series of large spots, followed by a series of smaller dark spots running along the terminal line. The hindwing has a similar pattern. No other Geometrid in our area has a similar pattern.
Forewing Length: 9.0 - 10.0 mm, males; 9.8 - 11.3 mm, females (Covell, 1970)
Adult Structural Features: Male and female reproductive structures are described and illustrated by Covell (1970) and appear to be distinctive
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Immature stages are unrecorded (Covell, 1970)
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: All of our records come from the southern half of the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills and Outer Coastal Plain
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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