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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 » Macariini » Macaria » Split-Lined Speranza - Hodges#6304 (Macaria bitactata)

Species Macaria bitactata - Split-Lined Speranza - Hodges#6304

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited

Split-Lined Speranza - Macaria bitactata

Split-Lined Speranza - Hodges#6304 - Macaria bitactata

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 Macariini

Genus Macaria

Species bitactata (Split-Lined Speranza - Hodges#6304)

Hodges Number

6304

Other Common Names

Short-lined Granite (1)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Macaria bitactata (Walker, 1862) (2) (3) (4)

Original Combination:

Thera bitactata Walker 1862 (4)

Synonyms:

Macaria packardaria (Moschler 1883) (4)

Itame bitactata (Walker, 1862) (5)

Identification

Adult: Gray with bold, black transverse lines on FW. The four dark costal wedges typical of the genus, continue as AM, PM and median lines. The median line broadest and incorporating the discal spot. AM and PM line sometimes broken. HW slightly paler, speckled grey with a faint (sometimes absent), PM line and discal spot, slightly darker marginal area. (1)

Specimen identified by DNA analysis:

Range

Newfoundland west to the Yukon and B.C., south to California (1)

Habitat

Moist open woods and shrubby areas.(1)

Season

Flies in July and August, peaking in mid-July. (1)

Food

Larvae feed on alder (Alnus sp.) and gooseberry (Ribes sp.) (1)

See Also

Similar to M. decorata, which has a speckled, not uniform grey, FW ground color, and lacks the thickened median line.

Members of the genus Digrammia have a dark patch midway down the FW submarginal area, absent in M. bitactata.

Speranza subcessaria - Barred Speranza

Speranza wauaria - The median band has a very sharp angle.

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group – species page (3)

BOLD Systems - images of DNA supported specimens (2)

E. H. Strickland Museum – brief description & image of pinned adult [cite:1187786] (1)

Encylopdia of Life (5)

Discover Life – species page

Works Cited

1.	University of Alberta Entomology Collection

2.	BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems

3.	North American Moth Photographers Group

4.	Dicky Sick Ki Yu (1997-2015) Home of Ichneumonoidea (Taxapad)

5.	Encylopdia of Life

Contributed by john and jane balaban on 27 December, 2005 - 3:15pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, ceiseman, Robert Lord Zimlich, Randy Hardy, Robert H. Biagi
Last updated 23 January, 2018 - 10:01pm

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