Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFErebidae Members: Catocala Members: 102 NC Records

Catocala lacrymosa Guenée, 1852 - Tearful Underwing

Catocala lacrymosaCatocala lacrymosaCatocala lacrymosaCatocala lacrymosa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Catocalini		P3 Number:
930783		 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 Resources: 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.
Catocala lacrymosaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
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). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [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

 73 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Taylor Piephoff on 2025-08-16
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: J.Buie on 2025-08-01
Stokes Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: J.Buie on 2025-07-31
Stokes Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-09-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Tim Foley on 2024-07-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-11-09
Madison Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-30
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-15
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2022-08-29
Moore Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2022-08-29
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-08-28
Orange Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-17
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-11
Orange Co.
Comment:
Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-09-10
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Catocala lacrymosa
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-08-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: