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Species Pero ancetaria - Hubner's Pero - Hodges#6748

Hubner's Pero - Pero ancetaria Honest Pero Moth - Hodges #6753 - Pero ancetaria Hubner's Pero? - Pero ancetaria Hubner's Pero - Pero ancetaria - female Pero ancetaria – Hubner's Pero Moth - Pero ancetaria Hubner's Pero Moth - Pero ancetaria possible   - Pero ancetaria Pero ancetaria  - Pero ancetaria - female
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Geometroidea (Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths)
Family Geometridae (Geometrid Moths)
Subfamily Ennominae
Tribe Azelinini
Genus Pero
Species ancetaria (Hubner's Pero - Hodges#6748)
Hodges Number
6748
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Pero ancetaria (Hübner, 1806)
Pero hubneraria
Azelina ancetaria
Pero anceta (1)
* phylogentic sequence #199075
Size
Wingspan 31-37 mm. (2)
Identification
Inner third of forewing (FW) medium brown, middle third darker reddish-brown with variable purplish tint, outer third pale yellowish-brown; postmedian (PM) line with deep sinus midway across wing; small patches of brown speckling or scaling at anal angle and along costa near apex; outer edges of both wings slightly wavy or irregular but not conspicuously scalloped. As the PM line approaches the inner margin of the FW, it juts out distally twice - once large (bounding the deep sinus) and then a second time much smaller. A black spot near the distal edge of the FW (roughly centered along that edge) can be present or absent.
Range
Eastern United States plus Ontario and Quebec.
Season
Adults fly from March to September in the south; May/June and again in August/September.
Food
Larvae feed on alder, Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), willow.
Life Cycle
Two generations per year.
Remarks
The former Pero hubneraria was designated a synonym of Pero ancetaria by Malcolm Scoble et al in 1999. The Hodges Number of P. ancetaria is 6754 - formerly assigned to P. hubneraria (McGill University, PDF doc). P. ancetaria was described by Hubner in 1806, so retaining the common name of Hubner's Pero seems appropriate.
Description based in part on comments by J.D. Roberts on photos here and here.
See Also
P. morrisonaria (Morrison's Pero) is more mottled, has more yellow in the forewing, usually a straighter PM line (shallow sinus midway across wing), and outer margins of both wings are conspicuously scalloped.
In P. honestaria, as the postmedian line approaches the inner margin of the forewing (after the curve bounding the large sinus), it is relatively straight. No black spot near the distal edge of the FW.
Compare images of the three species.

Separating Pero honestaria, ancetaria, and morrisonia - Jason D. Roberts
In honestaria, the PM area of the forewing is generally much less mottled than in ancetaria and morrisonia, with an almost nonexistent ST line (usually clearly seen as jagged/toothed and white in the other two). The FW median band of honestaria also, at the bottom 3rd, makes a straight, somewhat basad trajectory to the inner margin, whereas in the other two it has a tooth-like indent (as it crosses the anal vein). Honestaria also lacks the black spot near the midpoint of the FW outer margin, that may or may not be present on the other two. On the hindwing of honestaria, the PM line touches nearly the middle of the anal margin, whereas in the other two the PM line nearly reaches the anal angle. Finally, honestaria usually has smoother wing margins that are not serrated in appearance.
Now ancetaria and morrisonia are more difficult to separate, but generally morrisonia is much more mottled in overall appearance and often has a more deeply serrated appearance of its wing margins, particularly the HW outer margin. Also, in my experience, morrisonia often has some pale spots near the FW apex that I have not seen firsthand in any ancetaria specimens. But honestaria is usually the easiest to distinguish. Of course individual variation is always a factor.
Print References
Scoble, Malcolm et al. 1999.
Poole, Robert W. 1987. A Taxonomic Revision of the New World Moth Genus Pero (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). USDA Technical Bulletin No. 1698: 15
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with collection map and photos of pinned adults.
pinned adult image (Larry Line, Maryland)
Works Cited
1.A taxonomic revision of the New World moth genus Pero (Lepidoptera: Geometridae).
Robert W. Poole. 1987. USDA Technical Bulletin 1698: 1-257.
2.Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America
Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005.