Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Mesoleuca Members:
32 NC Records

Mesoleuca ruficillata (Guenée, [1858]) - White-ribboned Carpet Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: LarentiinaeTribe: HydriomeniniP3 Number: 910150.00 MONA Number: 7307.00
Comments: A rather unique looking genus of six species of which two occur in the United States and one in North Carolina. The others are in Europe, India, China and Russia. Our species looks much like the European one but differs in genitalia and barcodes.
Species Status: Specimens from North Carolina barcode with those from elsewhere in the eastern US and show no significant heterogeneity.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2001)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Adults easily distinguished by their large expanses of white, which is unique among our Geometrids. Elements of the pattern are reminiscent of Dystromma, another high altitude Geometrid genus in our fauna.
Adult Structural Features: The genitalia are quite distinct. In the male the costa has several ornate sclerotized projections and the juxta has a large medial extension. In the female the signum is comet-like.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The lime-green green inchworm has a distinctive wine-colored anal plate (Wagner et al., 2001).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Restricted to the Mountains in North Carolina.
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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