Moths of North Carolina
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971 NC Records

Eupithecia miserulata Grote, 1863 - Common Eupithecia Moth

Eupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulata
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: LarentiinaeTribe: EupitheciiniP3 Number: 91a0184 MONA Number: 7474.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); McDunnough (1949)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The palps are long and porrect, with their dark, smokey brown color contrasting with the creamy-pale frons, which is crossed by narrow apical band of dark brown (McDunnough, 1949). The forewings are rather broad and with a rounded apex (Forbes, 1948). Their ground color is dull grayish brown; North Carolina specimens are often shaded with green -- particularly in winter specimens (not mentioned by either Forbes, McDunnough, or Rindge). The discal spot is contrastingly dark but the antemedian and postmedian lines are more obscurely marked. The subterminal line consists of a series of white spots -- often chevron-shaped -- with one located at the tornus usually larger and more conspicuous. The first segment of the abdomen is paler than the rest (McDunnough, 1949). Females in our populations have dark scaling on the basal half of the abdomen (Sullivan, pers. obs.).
Wingspan: 16 mm (Forbes, 1948)
Adult Structural Features: The antennae of the males have a distinctive long bristles arranged in three fascicles per segment (Forbes, 1948); females also have ciliate antennae. The eighth sternite has two heavy, asymmetrical, longitudinal bars (Forbes, 1948)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide, and in a wide range of habitats.
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: Rindge (1985) mentions that miserulata is the only species in this genus that flies year-round
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: We have records from a very wide variety of open and forested, dry and wet forests. Many records come from residential areas.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are highly polyphagous (Wagner, 2005). They are often found on flowers but also feed on a variety of woody trees and shrubs - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S5
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 miserulata - Common Eupithecia Moth

325 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-10-09
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-10-08
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-09-22
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-14
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-08-15
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-26
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-15
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-29
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-29
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-11
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall, David George, and David Bradley on 2024-05-07
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall, David George, and David Bradley on 2024-05-07
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-04-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment: