Moths of North Carolina
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Catocala Members:
43 NC Records

Catocala umbrosa Brou, 2003 - Umber Underwing

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: CatocaliniP3 Number: 930793.00 MONA Number: 8801.10
Comments: One of 103 species in this genus that occur in North America (Gall and Hawks, 2010; Kons and Borth, 2015a,b), 67 of which have been recorded in North Carolina.
Species Status: Described as full species by Brou (2002a). Previously, it had been treated as a form of Catocala ilia.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Brou (2002a,b)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The pattern is very similar to that of Catocala ilia, with both species showing a fairly wide range of variation (see Brou, 2002a). C. umbrosa is generally brown to brownish gray, whereas C. ilia ranges from dark blackish-gray to a somewhat lighter blue-gray. Umbrosa generally shows less contrast between its ground color and markings. In particular, the border and/or filling of the reniform spot is usually a much bolder white in ilia but much less conspicuous in brumosa. In examining North Carolina specimens (S. Hall, pers. obs.), the antemedian line in brumosa appears to be more excurved and more unudulating, especially towards the inner margin; in ilia, the antemedian usually runs straighter across the wing and is usually much more heavily marked. The basal area in ilia is also usually much darker than the median area, whereas the two areas are more concolorous in brumosa.
Adult Structural Features: In males, the end of the valves is more truncated and process of the sacculus is shorter than in Catocala ilia (see Brou, 2002a, for a description and illustrations). Differences in the female genitalia have not been described.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Wagner et al. (2011) illustrate a larva and note that it is paler than is typical for C. ilia but probably not always separable.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: We have records from all provinces of the state
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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