Moths of North Carolina
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77 NC Records

Catocala flebilis Grote, 1872 - Mourning Underwing

Catocala flebilisCatocala flebilisCatocala flebilisCatocala flebilis
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Catocalini		P3 Number:
930775		 MONA Number:
8782.00		 Other Common Name:
Mournful Underwing
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 flebilis, other members of this group that occur in North Carolina include habilis, serena, robinsonii, judith, angusi, obscura, residua, and sappho.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)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 medium-large gray Underwing with black hindwings. The ground color is blue-gray, with a dark shade (sometimes faint) or black band running obliquely across the wing, often from close to the basal line to the outer margin, interrupted by the pale subterminal spot. A dark basal dash is also present, located below the oblique band and the lower loop of the postmedian. The reniform is usually brown but preceded with a pale patch that also interrupts the oblique band. The undersides are strongly and distinctively marked with black and white (Forbes, 1954; Sargent, 1976). The smaller size and blue-gray ground color of the forewings help distinguish this species from other underwings with a dark oblique shade on the forewings and black hindwings, including some forms of robinsonii, myristica, angusi, and retecta. The white fringe on the hindwings also rules out angusii and the pattern on the undersides of the wings separates flebilis from the rest: the white postmedian band on underside of the forewing is narrow and diffuse -- much more so than in robinsonii and myristica -- and the white patch at the base of the hindwing is a clearer white and the postmedian again narrower than in the other species. The postmedian also lacks the outward bulge on M3 and C1 that is characteristic of retecta.
Wingspan: 55-65 mm (Sargent, 1976)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larvae are dark gray with a black dorsal saddle on segments A5 and A6 and with black streaks along the spiracles on the rear of the body; rootlet setae are absent and dorsal setae arise from pink-orange warts (see Wagner et al., for a detailed description and illustrations).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably found throughout the Low Mountains and Piedmont. Records in the Coastal Plain may be limited to the nutrient-rich floodplains and adjoining slopes of brownwater rivers
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Catocala flebilis
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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