Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Eupithecia Members: 39 NC Records

Eupithecia palpata Packard, 1873 - Small Pine Looper Moth

Eupithecia palpataEupithecia palpataEupithecia palpataEupithecia palpata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Larentiinae		Tribe:
Eupitheciini		P3 Number:
91a0156		 MONA Number:
7449.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: McDunnough (1949)                                                                                 
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Eupithecia palpataAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Pine barrens, woodlands, forests, and pine plantations (Wagner et al., 2001). Our records come from Spruce-Fir Forests, other high elevation forest, and cove forests .
Larval Host Plants: Reported hosts include firs (Abies), pines (Pinus), larches (Larix), and spruce (Picea) (Wagner et al., 2001). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Cool Mesic Conifer Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Eupithecia palpata - Small Pine Looper Moth

Photos: 22
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2025-05-18
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-10
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-20
Madison Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-04-17
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Stephen Hall on 2015-08-10
Cherokee Co.
Comment:
Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2013-05-03
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Eupithecia palpataRecorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: