Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Catocala Members: 8 NC Records

Catocala illecta Walker, [1858] - Magdalen Underwing

Catocala illecta
view caption 		Catocala illectaCatocala illectaCatocala illecta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Catocalini		P3 Number:
930826		 MONA Number:
8840.00
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.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 60-70 mm (Sargent, 1976)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Catocala illectaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from woodland edges, old pastures, or other sites where Honey Locust is likely to occur.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are monophagous on Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) (Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, Stephen Dunn and Sam Jaffe have reared larvae from Honey Locust. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Honey Locust Groves
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: W-PK
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SU [S2S4]
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 illecta - Magdalen Underwing

Photos: 10
Catocala illectaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2025-04-10
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Catocala illectaRecorded by: Sam Jaffee and Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-13
Orange Co.
Comment: An adult that was reared by Sam Jaffe from a larva collected with Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-17 (see companion photo of two larvae).
Catocala illectaRecorded by: Sam Jaffee and Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-13
Orange Co.
Comment: An adult that was reared by Sam Jaffe from a larva collected with Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-17 (see companion photo of two larvae).		Catocala illectaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn and Sam Jaffe on 2024-04-17
Orange Co.
Comment: Larvae were in leaf litter beneath a Honey Locust tree.
Catocala illectaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-10
Orange Co.
Comment: Larvae were feeding on Gleditsia triacanthos. 		Catocala illectaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-10
Orange Co.
Comment: Larvae were feeding on Gleditsia triacanthos.
Catocala illectaRecorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-07-11
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala illectaRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2013-06-22
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Catocala illectaRecorded by: Parker Backstrom on 2009-06-05
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Catocala illectaRecorded by: T. Daggy on 1953-06-18
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: Specimen in NCSU Insect Museum