Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Catocala Members: 127 NC Records

Catocala amica (Hübner, 1818) - Girlfriend Underwing

Catocala amicaCatocala amicaCatocala amicaCatocala amica
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Catocalini		P3 Number:
930859		 MONA Number:
8878.00
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. Amica was included by Barnes and McDunnough (1918) in their Group XX (also adopted by Forbes, 1954), which feed on Oaks. This group originally also included jair, with lineella now added as a separate species. At least one undescribed species may eventually be added.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A relatively small, pale gray Catocala, with a conspicuous dark curvifascia line running from the middle of the costa to the outer margin below the apex. The ground color is pale gray and variably shaded with brown. The orbicular is a pale pear-shaped spot and the reniform is typically shaded with red brown. The hindwing is yellow and has only a single dark band running along the outer margin with a separated black dot located at the anal angle.

Catocala lineela has a similar hindwing pattern but has a more mottled bluish-gray forewing pattern that lacks a curvifascia band. Catocala jair also has a similar hindwing but has a blackish forewing, a less dentate postmedian, and a brown subterminal area (Sargent, 1976). A third, currently undescribed species also appears to exist with a pattern more similar to jair but more brownish than blackish.
Wingspan: 35-40 mm (Sargent, 1976)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Found over most of the state, from the mountains to the barrier islands.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Catocala amicaAlamance 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: Found mainly in xeric sites in the Coastal Plain, including maritime forests and sand ridges. In the Piedmont and Mountains, however, it is associated with wet-to-mesic habitats, including alluvial forests, cove forests, and high elevation forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on oaks, including White Oak (Quercus alba), Live Oak (Q. virginiana), Bear Oak (Q. ilicifolia) and others (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 [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 amica - Girlfriend Underwing

 60 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-07
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-21
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-08-04
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-07-20
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-24
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-06-23
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Patrick Coin, Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Catocala amica
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Catocala amica
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment: