Post #3000: A new-for-me moth … either way!

Moths are more difficult to ID than most butterflies. I submitted this image to two sites, BugGuide.net and Butterflies & Moths of North America.

The IDs agreed down to “Tribe” Boarmiini in sub-family Ennominae of the Geometridae family (Geometrid Moths, the second largest family of moths in North America). But they disagreed on genus.

» ID’ed at BAMONA as Anavitrinella pampinaria or “Common Gray.”
» ID’ed at BugGuide to a male in genus Iridopsis.

When I inquired to my ID’er at BugGuide about the alternative genus Anavitrinella, he replied, “I do like them and they are very common, nationwide. (...very closely related too) However, your moth has hollow discal spots on the hind-wings, which rules out that genus.” Right. What he said.

So what species is it? In the Tribe of Boarmiini! While I posted a “Porcelain Gray” several years ago, with either ID this image is a new-for-me moth.

“Post #3000” is misleading by four: four of my posts were not photos…

My enthusiasm for/commitment to this project really nose-dived about a year-and-a-half (370 posts) ago. I thought about trying to get at least 3,000 photos/posts and while that seemed a long way away at the time, here I am. (I’m not an “ace” participant, so the 3,000 posts have been on 3,000 days, although 147(ish) past posts have been “fillers,” not taken on the day for which they were posted. So perhaps I need to make it to 3,151 to make 3,000 “photos-on-the-day”? Given that I'm no longer toting a camera everywhere, how long will it take me to make another 151 posts of “photos-on-the-day”…)

Update It took quite a while as there were about 90 no-post days between now and #3000. Here’s photo-of-the-day #3000.

[ Species page at BAMONA ] [ Genus page at BugGuide ]

[ IMG_8654TsB20C10S9x6tm :: 250mm ]

[Jane Anderson]

So interesting!

[Maggiemae]

You know this moth looks as if it has knitted wings!