Moths of North Carolina
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Catocala Members:
90 NC Records

Catocala andromedae Guenée, 1852 - Andromeda Underwing

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: CatocaliniP3 Number: 930835.00 MONA Number: 8849.00
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)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the forewings is pale bluish-gray. A distinctive black band runs from the dark thorax along the inner margin to the apex. The antemedian is black and often incomplete, but with a conspicuous black trapezoidal spot located between the antemedian and the white subreniform spot. The postmedian is crenulate, narrow and black, followed by white. The subterminal band is white and scalloped. The hindwing is solidly black with a distinctive short white bar located at the apex. The fringe is otherwise mainly black.

Catocala gracilis is similar in forewing color and pattern, including the dark line along the inner margin but lacks the dark trapezoidal mark and has a narrow basal dash that is missing in andromedae; the hindwings of gracilis are also banded in orange and black rather than being solidly black.
Wingspan: 40-50 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.
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: Most of our records come from dry, rocky ridges and summits in the Mountains but we also have several from flatwoods or possibly pocosin habitats
Larval Host Plants: Oligophagous, with larvae feeding on Vaccinium and Azaleas - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Upland Heath Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4
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 andromedae - Andromeda Underwing

Photos: 16

Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30
Swain Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-29
Swain Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2023-07-27
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-08-03
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-25
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-29
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2014-07-17
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2013-07-14
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2013-07-13
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-06-28
Warren Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2010-06-22
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2008-06-29
Bladen Co.
Comment: