Moths of North Carolina
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Entephria Members:
1 NC Records

Entephria separata Troubridge, 1997 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: LarentiinaeTribe: HydriomeniniP3 Number: 91a0542 MONA Number: 7306.20
Comments: One of 44 species in this genus that occur worldwide and one of 11 that occur in North America (Troubridge, 1997). Nearctic species are mainly found in the far north and west, with only Entephria separata, E. aurata, and E. lagganataoccurring in the East.
Species Status: Our record for Entephria separata represents a major disjunction, with the next nearest known populations occurring in the Catskills of New York and Mount Washington in New Hampshire.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Troubridge (1997)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Entephria separata is a medium-sized Carpet, with slate- to brownish-gray forewings marked with the usual pattern of narrow wavy lines. The antemedian and postmedian lines are both white and scalloped and often broken into separate spots; the subterminal is also whitish and more strongly scalloped. The post-basal and postmedial areas are distinctively suffused with caramel, which should distinguish it from all of our other Carpets. Hindwings are paler gray, especially basally but becoming darker in the outer third. A dark gray postmedial line is closely followed by a light gray subterminal line, both scalloped (Troubridge, 1997). Sexes are similar.
Forewing Length: 16-17 mm
Adult Structural Features: Both male and female genitalia are distinctive, as described and illustrated by Troubridge (1997)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Apparently not described.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Known from North Carolina solely from the summit of Mt. Mitchell
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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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species inhabits boreal forests in Canada. The habitat at the summit of Mt. Mitchell consists of Spruce-Fir Forest and Northern Hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Host plants are poorly documented. BugGuide lists Vaccinium, though this requires verification. - View
Observation Methods: This species is believed to be nocturnal (Troubridge, 1997) and probably comes to lights.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Spruce-Fir Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 SH
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation does not confer any legal protection, however, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This species, along with several others, appears to be a Pleistocene relict, whose range has retreated since the end of the last glaciation to the far north. It has not been found on any other high elevation site in North Carolina, where species with similar ranges has been found. It has also not been confirmed to still exist on Mt. Mitchell, where it is known from only a single specimen (now in the US National Museum). It is thus, probably the rarest of the rare moths of North Carolina and one of the most likely to be imperiled by global climate change if, in fact, it still exists in this state.