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Species Tetracis cervinaria - Hodges#6956
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 Ourapterygini
Genus Tetracis (Slant-Lines)
Species cervinaria (Tetracis cervinaria - Hodges#6956)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Metanema cervinaria Packard, 1871
Synaxis cervinaria McDunnough, 1938
The genus Synaxis is synonymized with Tetracis, Ferris and Schmidt, 2010 Explanation of Names CERVINARIA: perhaps from the Latin "cervinus", from "cervus" (a deer), although I can't guess what association the moth has with a deer or the deer family; any ideas appreciated Numbers one of 13 species in this genus in North America Size forewing length 19–23 mm Identification Adult - DFW apex strongly falcate; males tawny or cinnamon-tan with narrow pale ochre AM and PM lines with or without dark edging, PM line nearly straight, MB frequently darker; females often orange or cinnamon-rufous with well defined brown or brownish-orange AM and PM lines with usually darker MB. DHW with nearly straight median line duplicating color of PM line, in some examples there is a distal indistinct convex dark satellite line originating from the top to the middle of the median line; small FW and HW discal dots are present. Ventrally the dorsal markings are repeated to some degree depending upon individual specimens; there is also a widely distributed speckling by dark scales
Larva: a twig mimic; body light green to greenish-brown; dorsal hump on second thoracic segment; small dorsal wart on abdominal segments four and eight
Specimens identified by DNA analysis:
Range British Columbia south to Kern Co., California and eastward to western Montana, SE Idaho, Carbon Co., Wyoming, and Larimer Co., Colorado, from 2600–7800’ (790-2375m) Season Adults fly as early as February into June, with female stragglers into mid-July Food two confirmed hosts in northern California for cervinaria are Prunus emarginata and P. virginiana, Ferris and Schmidt, 2010. Older information indicates larvae may also feed on leaves of alder, Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), cascara, Ceanothus species, Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), willow Life Cycle one generation per year; overwinters as an egg See Also S. jubararia and pallulata are similar but have sparsely speckled forewings, a sinuous PM line, and fly in late summer and fall ( compare images of all three species)
Prochoerodes forficaria has less pointed wings, a sharp angle in the PM line near the forewing costa, and veins are not noticeably paler than ground color ( compare images of both species)
The nearly straight PM line, typically fawn color, and early-season flight period (February–June; stragglers to mid-July) separate cervinaria from its congeners except australis. Genitalic characters and geography (widely distributed in western North American, but not in coastal southern California) separate cervinaria from australis. Internet References pinned adult image plus description, food plants, and flight season (Jeff Miller, Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands; USGS)
live larva image plus description and food plants (Jeffrey Miller, Caterpillars of Pacific Northwest Forests and Woodlands; USGS)
presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)
presence in Utah; list (Joel Johnson, Utah Lepidopterists Society)
pinned adult images of three specimens, showing color variation (CBIF) |
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