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Macaria aemulataria
Geometrid Moth (Family Geometridae): Adult: forewing falcate (having sickle-shaped indentation along outer margin near apex) with off-white to pale brown ground color; three yellowish-brown lines cross the wing; large blackish blotch along postmedial (PM) line near middle of wing is composed of five separate pieces; hindwing conspicuously pointed and similar color to forewing but has no dark markings; terminal line dashed on all wings. Larva: body green with whitish stripes; some specimens have two black spots on second abdominal segment. Wingspan is 20-22 mm.
Range is Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Texas, north to Oregon and Alberta. This one was photographed at a porch light at the edge of a southern deciduous forest in the midlands of South Carolina.
Larvae feed on leaves of maple only (reports of locust and other hosts in the literature are in error). Adults fly from May to September in Ohio; June and July in Alberta. Hodges#6326; Per BAMONA, this spotting is a new species record for Edgefield County, SC.
Spotted on Apr 18, 2013
Submitted on Jul 16, 2013
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