Moths of North Carolina
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Catocala Members:
47 NC Records

Catocala clintonii Grote, 1864 - Clinton's Underwing

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ErebinaeTribe: CatocaliniP3 Number: 930853.00 MONA Number: 8872.00 MONA Synonym: Catocala clintoni
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 XVII (also adopted by Forbes, 1954), which feed mainly on members of the Rosaceae. Kons and Borth, 2015b), however, exclude clintonii from this group, presumably based on absence of certain male genitalic features that they regard as synapomorphies of Group XVII. Both Barnes and McDunnough (1918) and Forbes (1954) also expressed doubts about including it in this group.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Barnes and McDunnough (1918); Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Underwing with gray forewings and yellow-and-black banded hindwings. The forewing is variably shaded with gray, the costa usually paler than the rest of the wing and the area on the outside of the reniform darker (Forbes, 1954). A long, narrow basal dash is characteristic, usually reaching to the antemedian or crossing it; this dash is typically not forked, but may have a small line joining it on the upper side. The antemedian and postmedian are both well-marked and single, although there may be a pale line edging the antemedian on its inner side. The reniform is gray but surrounded by a whitish shade; the subreniform is large, pale, and closed. The inner loop of the hindwing ends abruptly at the inner margin, without the strongly dark connection to the base typical of the other Rosaceae-feeding Underwings (Group XVII). Catocala praeclara has a similar forewing pattern but is smaller, usually less grayish, and has a shorter, more wedge-shaped basal dash, lacking the lower projection along the anal vein.
Wingspan: 50-55 mm (Forbes, 1954; 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: Our records come mainly from low-lying areas near streams or other wet sites. Some records from the Mountains come from cove forests or ridges
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are oligophagous, feeding on a number of genera in the Rosaceae. Wagner et al. (2011) list Apple, Cherry, Hawthorn, and Plum (especially Chickasaw Plum) - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Rosaceous Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 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 clintonii - Clinton's Underwing

Photos: 16

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-16
Macon Co.
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Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-05-31
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2021-05-11
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-06-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-05-23
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-06-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-06-20
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Chris Talkington on 2015-06-12
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2014-05-22
Cabarrus Co.
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Recorded by: Taylor Piephoff on 2010-06-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: SPH on 2009-06-02
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: SPH on 2009-06-02
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: SPH on 2009-05-21
Scotland Co.
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