Moths of North Carolina
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Rheumaptera Members:
162 NC Records

Rheumaptera prunivorata (Ferguson, 1955) - Ferguson's Scallop Shell Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Geometroidea Family: GeometridaeSubfamily: LarentiinaeTribe: HydriomeniniP3 Number: 91a0343 MONA Number: 7292.00 MONA Synonym: Hydria prunivorata
Comments: This species (Ferguson, 1955) was previously placed in the genus Hydria (Hodges et al. 1983), then later in Rheumaptera, before being returned to Hydria (Hausmann and Viidalepp 2012). The latest 2023 checklist of North American has returned it to Rheumaptera (Pohl and. Nanz, 2023).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Hydria prunivorata); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Ferguson (1955)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Rheumaptera undulata and R. prunivorata are two cryptic species that can only be reliably separated using genitalia. In western North Carolina they tend to separate to some extent elevationally, with R. undulata rarely occurring below 3,500' and R. prunivorata extending from the lower valleys to higher elevations where it overlaps elevationally with R. undulata. Thus, specimens from the lower valleys can generally be assigned to R. prunivorata with high confidence.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Woodland edges, overgrown fields, and hedgerows (Wagner et al., 2001). We have records from maritime dunes and forests and mesic hardwood forests in the Coastal Plain. In the Mountains, our records come from cove forests, riparian forests, and high elevation forests. Our few records from the Piedmont come from wet hardwoods and lakeshores.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on Black Cherry (Wagner, 2005) - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Rheumaptera prunivorata - Ferguson's Scallop Shell Moth

31 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08
Wilkes Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-08
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-30
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-06
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-14
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-04-29
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-08-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-16
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-04-08
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-07-19
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-07-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-06-07
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2017-04-27
McDowell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-01
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, K. Kittelberger on 2015-06-18
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger, P. Scharf on 2015-06-18
Watauga Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall and Ed Corey on 2015-05-16
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: J. Merrill Lynch on 2015-05-09
Watauga Co.
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Recorded by: J. A. Anderson on 2015-05-09
Surry Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2014-06-11
McDowell Co.
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Recorded by: Paul Scharf, B. Bockhahn, K. Kettelberger on 2014-06-07
Avery Co.
Comment: 4100\'		Recorded by: Paul Scharf, B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger on 2012-07-25
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: T. DeSantis on 2011-05-03
Camden Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2011-04-27
Beaufort Co.
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Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2011-04-24
Beaufort Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2006-05-06
Carteret Co.
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