Comparative analysis of Nemoria’s biogeographic history suggests that the genus originated in South America.

[3] Such a close proximity to the United States’ southwest region can explain the present day localization to this area.

It has been suggested that Nemoria was introduced many times - the genus is the largest of the New World Geometrinae and is estimated to be around 7.5 million years old.

[4] In 1988, Noel McFarland discovered that N. aemularia adults could be reared from N. arizonaria eggs – proving that N.arizonaria and N. aemularia were actually the same moth, but due to seasonal dimorphism could result in substantially different phenotypic forms[4][6] Seasonal dimorphism is one type of polyphenism observed in the species, the other of which occurs at the larvae stage.

Studies on Lepidoptera have found that feeding behavior is in fact triggered by sugar-receptor communication with chemosensilla, and that both starch and sucrose compete for taste receptor sites along the sensilla.

When starch and sucrose were artificially added to bind to sensilla receptor sites, Lepodoptera stopped food-sucking behavior all together.

[10] N. arizonaria is emerald colored, possessing a wide post-medial line - one of the broadest amongst all North American Nemoria species.

Those that are born in the summer must eat oak leaves since catkins are no longer abundant at this time of year.

Rutherford explains how different larvae phenotypes of N. arizonaria were possibly developed by attributing the stages and thresholds of genetic variation storage in populations.

Under normal situations, genetic buffering is intact, and all individuals with a genotype reflect identical phenotypes.

However, when buffering breaks down, the expression of previously silent genes emerge and are allowed to cross, resulting in phenotypic variation from the original form.

After examining whether the color of light, in addition to diet, may influence phenotypic expression of N. arizonaria, Greene concluded that diet alone influenced morph induction even though light has been proven to affect the phenotype of many other polymorphic larvae.

[9][11][5] To fully interpret the impact the environment has on a species’ phenotype and development when studying developmental processes, a more thorough understanding of ecology is necessary.

By synergizing both ecology and evolutionary processes, as seen through N. arizonaria studies, a better understanding of how organisms evolve and develop can be reached.