Pug Moth (Eupithecia scabrogata), identification highly tentative. The genus Eupithecia contains at least 1400 species of moths globally, making it the largest genus of moths in the world. Known as Pug Moths, members of this genus are relatively small moths with long, narrow forewings and diminutive hindwings that are almost covered up by the forewings. Adults at rest often hold their forewings at right angles to their bodies, with their hindwings underneath, giving the creature a "soaring hawk" appearance. There are about 160 species of these moths in North America, north of Mexico.

Getting to species with Eupithecid moths is a tricky business, as they're not well studied, and new species of these moths are being discovered all the time. I'm basing my identification of the moth in my picture on photos at the North American Moth Photographer's Gallery:

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=7583

The individual that I've photographed has the long forewings and small hindwings of all pug moths; however, the tips of its forewings have rounded point to them. The wings are generally a cryptic, dull, dark brown, with just a few darker blotches near the leading edge of the forewing and tinier, white speckles elsewhere on the wings. There is little in the way of a pattern on its wings. The NAMP pictures for E. scabrogata show that they have wings that are similar in shape and color, though they may be a little lighter or a litter darker than the moth in my photo. They also have dark blotches near the leading edge of the forewings, white speckles elsewhere on the wings, and little in the way of a pattern.

Other features that I compared were the antennae (partially shown in my picture) and the overall body shape. The antennae appear to be simple, narrow, and whip like, with none of the frilly appendages or other structures that one sometimes sees in moth antennae. Again, this is consistent with the NAMP phtos for E. scabrogata.

The body shape is narrow overall, with a relatively small head, a bulge in the middle for the thorax, a pinch in the body just below the thorax, and an abdomen that bulges slightly at the top and then tapers to a point. This is mostly consistent with the NAMP photos, with the only difference being the lack of the "pinching" of the body just below the thorax in some of the NAMP pictures of E. scabrogata. One of the pictures does show this feature, however, so I suspect that there may be some sexual dimorphism going on.

Finally, the range map accompanying the NAMP photos indicates that this moth has been found frequently in northern California, which is consistent with what other sources indicate is the range for this moth (British Colmbia to California and Arizona).

There were a few other species depicted in the NAMP gallery that came close in appearance to the species depicted here. E. plumasata, in particular, comes very close. It just seems to a stronger pattern of vertical lines running acrosss its forewings than the moth in my picture. E. indistincta also comes close, but seems to be too pale in overall wing color.

This is my best, educated guess as to what this moth is. However, given how cryptic Eupithecid moths are, and given the shnumber of species in the genus Eupithecia, it is entirely possible that this identification could be wrong.