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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Geometrid and Swallowtail Moths (Geometroidea) » Geometrid Moths (Geometridae) » Ennominae » Anagogini » Metarranthis » Pale Metarranthis - Hodges#6825 (Metarranthis indeclinata)

Species Metarranthis indeclinata - Pale Metarranthis - Hodges#6825

Classification · Hodges Number · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Remarks · See Also · Internet References

common metarranthis - Metarranthis indeclinata

Pale Metarranthis - Metarranthis indeclinata

Metarranthis indeclinata - Metarranthis indeclinata - male

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 Anagogini

Genus Metarranthis

Species indeclinata (Pale Metarranthis - Hodges#6825)

Hodges Number

6825

Size

wingspan 32-43 mm

Identification

forewing ground color pale yellowish with sharply-bent dark shaded PM line and brown speckling throughout; usually shows good contrast between dark and light areas but amount of dark shading varies considerably

Range

Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Kentucky, north to Manitoba

Season

adults fly from May to July

Food

larvae feed on apple, blueberry, cherry, persimmon, sassafras

Remarks

Guide page creation based on Bob Patterson's identification of this image, which Bob says is within the range of variation of 5 images of this species illustrated in Louis Handfield's 1999 Le Guide des Papillons du Quebec.

See Also

Common Metarranthis very similar, and both species show variation in color (see sample images of both species)

Refracted Metarranthis patterned very much like this species, but tends to be darker, often with reddish or purplish shading.

Purple Metarranthis is smaller, much darker, deep purple in color, and not found as far north as this species.

Other species of Metarranthis besides homuraria, hypochraria, indeclinata, and refractaria do not have a sharply-bent PM line.

Pangrapta decoralis - Has long labial palpi. Note triangular dot on hindwing.

Internet References

live adult images by several photographers, plus similar species for comparison (Moth Photographers Group)

pinned adult image (CBIF)

pinned adult image (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 29 November, 2005 - 11:46pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, anitagould, marcie oconnor, dennepj10
Last updated 30 August, 2023 - 12:17pm

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