Moths of North Carolina
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35 NC Records

Catocala robinsonii Grote, 1872 - Robinson's Underwing

Catocala robinsoniiCatocala robinsoniiCatocala robinsoniiCatocala robinsonii
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: CatocaliniP3 Number: 930769 MONA Number: 8780.00
Comments: One of 103 species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010, 2015), 67 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Included by Barnes and McDunnough (1918) in their Group V (also adopted by Forbes, 1954). This groups comprises 10 species, all of which feed on Hickories or Walnuts (Juglandaciae). In addition to robinsonii, other members of this group that occur in North Carolina include habilis, serena, judith, flebilis, angusi, obscura, residua, and sappho.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A large, pale gray, dimorphic Underwing with black hindwings. In the typical form, the forewings are a uniform gray; in form missouriensis, a fairly broad black band runs obliquely from the base of the wing to the outer margin below the apex. The transverse lines are fine and black; a black basal dash is present in females but an anal dash is not well developed in either sex. The reniform is often somewhat reddish brown, followed by a dark stain the extends to the postmedian; the subreniform is usually open. The hindwing is solid black with a contrasting grayish white fringe. The typical form is similar to habilis, but that species is smaller and has orange and black hindwings. Catocala myristica is similar in size and color, but the ground color of the forewings is more milky or opalescent white; the reniform usually has a larger patch of rusty brown; the dark stain following the reniform is usually absent; and the fringe of the hindwings is a brighter white. Form missouriensis is also similar to the dark streaked form of myristica but the other differences hold that distinguish these two species. Catocala flebilis is another similar dark streaked species but usually has a darker, bluish gray ground color and has a more contrasting pattern of dark and pale areas along the costa.
Wingspan: 60-70 mm (Sargent, 1976); one NC specimen is 7.6 mm
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are a dull mottled light brown with dorsal diamond-shaped spots (Forbes, 1954). A black subdorsal stripe is present and a darker one running below the stigma. The head is pale gray with a dark continuous stripe located behind the vertex.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species is probably widely distributed across the Piedmont and Mountains but may be missing from most of the Coastal Plain except for the floodplains of brownwater rivers, where rich sediments support populations of Shagbark Hickory
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)

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