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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 » Alsophilini » Alsophila » Fall Cankerworm - Hodges#6258 (Alsophila pometaria)
Photo#40693
Fall Cankerworm Moth - Alsophila pometaria
Copyright © 2006 Cotinis

Fall Cankerworm Moth - Alsophila pometaria
Parkwood, Durham County, North Carolina, USA
January 9, 2006
Size: wingspan 33 mm
At my porch light. Identification based on other images in guide. (See update--comments April 2008.) Size measured by photographing adjacent to a scale. Forewing length was about 15 mm, with body about 3mm wide at thorax, giving an estimate of spread wingspread of 33 mm.

Spring comes quite early in North Carolina, I guess. It has been quite cold in December and early January, but we've had a bout of warmer (highs 50-60 F) weather and I noticed bats about foraging at dusk on January 9. I had a sallow at my porch light that evening as well, but did not get a photo. This moth showed up on the morning of January 10.
Image updated 1/18/21. (Larger size and distracting dirt on the background cloned out!)
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Contributed by Cotinis on 10 January, 2006 - 9:08am
Last updated 19 January, 2021 - 12:12pm

Moved to Alsophila pometaria
Moved from Spring Cankerworm.
Thanks for correction on ID--always appreciated.
… Cotinis, 5 April, 2008 - 10:37pm login or register to post comments

Alsophila
I don't mean to stir the pot after two years, but this looks much more like Alsophila pometaria to me. Pretty common around here (GA Piedmont) from late fall through the first couple months of the year.

… Jason D. Roberts, 4 April, 2008 - 12:46pm login or register to post comments

The Sallow that 'got away'
Identification of the Eupsilia spp. of sallows has difficulties, see here: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Problems.shtml. If you get to photograph any of these and are unsure of the species it may be worth collecting them for further study.
… A.W. Thomas, 11 January, 2006 - 5:41am login or register to post comments

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