Moths of North Carolina
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Catocala Members:
93 NC Records

Catocala lacrymosa Guenée, 1852 - Tearful Underwing

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: CatocaliniP3 Number: 930783.00 MONA Number: 8794.00
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 VI (also adopted by Forbes, 1954). This groups comprises 15 species, all of which feed on Hickories or Walnuts (Juglandaciae). In addition to lachrymosa, other members of this group that occur in North Carolina include retecta, dejecta, ulalume, insolabilis, myristica, vidua, maestosa, palaeogama, nebulosa, subnata, and neogama.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This species comes in a wide variety forms, with the ground color ranging from black, green, to reddish-brown. The antemedian and postmedian lines are filled with white just adjacent to the inner margin, forming a pair of distinctive white tear-drops or crescents (Forbes, 1954); the wings are also often sprinkled with white scales. The hindwings are black, with a white fringe.
Wingspan: 60-70 mm (Sargent, 1976)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
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)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Records from maritime forests, sand ridges, alluvial forests, cove forests and dry ridges
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on section Carya hickories (Wagner et al., 2011) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4S5
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Catocala lacrymosa - Tearful Underwing

63 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-24
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-03
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-15
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-15
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2022-08-29
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2022-08-29
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-28
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-17
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-11
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-10
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-08-05
Chatham Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-19
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-09-19
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-09-11
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-08-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-20
Cabarrus Co.
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Recorded by: L. M. Carlson on 2019-10-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-24
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-24
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-09-18
Madison Co.
Comment: