Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members:
Iridopsis Members:
616 NC Records

Iridopsis defectaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Brown-shaded Gray Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: EnnominaeTribe: BoarmiiniP3 Number: 911004.00 MONA Number: 6586.00
Comments: One of 20 species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico, seven of which have been recorded in North Carolina. In Rindge's 1966 revision of this group, 18 were placed in Anacamptodes, which he recognized as possibly representing the same genus as Iridopsis, and two in Iridopsis itself.
Species Status: This is one of the larger members of this genus in North Carolina, similar in size and pattern to I. vellivolata -- both have reddish brown shading before the antemedian and following the postmedian -- but having a definite whitish ground color rather than the bluish or purplish color of vellivolata. The pale form of pergracilis is similar in ground color and shading, but has a less undulating postmedian, particular at M2 and C2.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Anacamptodes defectaria)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Forewing Length: 13-20 mm, males; 16-22 mm, females (Rindge, 1966)
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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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