for working on this confusing group, Aaron.

I see on the species info page that Rudbeckia laciniata is listed as a host for E. carolinana, and there was one of those plants within 10 feet of where I photographed this moth (and a couple more within 20 feet).

I browsed through Tribe Eucosmini and saw many similar appearing moths.

Unfortunately, this was the only shot I was able to take of this moth before it flew away, but for future reference, under ideal conditions what angles would be best for identification of this group of moths from photographs?

For Eucosmini (and for Olethreutinae more generally), a lateral view is most useful. Ideally, one should get both a lateral view and a dorsal view, as seen here:



The more oblique an angle is in any direction, the harder it is to compare the photo with other specimens. In this case, you took a photo close to dorsal but somewhat lateral, so much of the wing is at an angle. The lateral view provides a great angle for most of the wing, while the dorsal provides the best view of the area near the inner margin and can in many cases help with gestalt recognition. Additionally, most of the photos on BugGuide are taken with the head at the top in the case of dorsal photos or to the right or, less often, the left, in the case of lateral photos. These conventions make the patterns much easier to compare. See below for comparison photos of two species similar to yours from a lateral view. Below them, I've added comparison dorsal views of the same two species. Notice how similar they appear, especially in the dorsal view.

for the informative detailed reply, Aaron. Much appreciated.

I'm by no means an expert, but I've become reasonably familiar with many groups of moths through experience at my porch lights and identifying images here on BugGuide. Eucosmini is a really tough group, and I've had to reevaluate many of my IDs as I've become familiar with more species. Before I knew about Notocelia rosaecolana, I'd misidentified the several I'd seen as Epiblema scudderiana. I'm always happy to help others become acquainted with some of the lookalikes. I'm usually right about this group, but I'm not always sure!

for the suggestion, Peter. There are hosts for Epiblema scudderiana - Goldenrod Gall Moth (Solidago sp) within 30 feet of where I photographed this moth. Another likely looking possibility I see within the same genus might be E. carolinana - Gray-blotched Epiblema, and there is a Rudbeckia laciniata (not sure if that species of Rudbeckia is a host plant) within ten feet.

Would you suggest that I move this photo to the Genus page? Or is that too far?

Tim, I would let an editor decide how far one can go.