Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Catocala Members: 7 NC Records

Catocala dulciola Grote, 1881 - Sweet Underwing

Catocala dulciola
view caption 		Catocala dulciola
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Erebinae		Tribe:
Catocalini		P3 Number:
930852		 MONA Number:
8871.00
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. Included by Barnes and McDunnough (1918) in their Group XVII (also adopted by Forbes, 1954), which feed mainly on members of the Rosaceae; 12 other members of this group (as redefined by Kons and Borth, 2015b) also occur in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976); Schweitzer et al. (2011)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Schweitzer et al. (2011); Wagner et al. (2011)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, pale gray Underwing with a dark, evenly rounded, double antemedian line on the forewing that strongly contrasts with the pale gray median area. As in C. praeclara, a short but strong basal dash is also present but extends primarily along the anal vein and lacks a well-developed upper fork. The postmedian is less well developed, similar to alabamae, and the terminal area is evenly shaded but not strongly contrasting with the median area. Hindwings are yellow-and-black banded, with a complete postmedian loop similar to other members of this species group (Forbes, 1954; Sargent, 1976).
Wingspan: 40-45 mm (Sargent, 1976)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are illustrated in Schweitzer et al. (2011) and Wagner et al. (2011), but are considered too similar to other members of the Rosaceae-feeding group -- several of which feed on Hawthorns -- to distinguish. Identification should be based on rearing them to adulthood.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species is found primarily in the upper Mid-West but extends eastward to the Ridge-and-Valley Province in West Virginia and Virginia. The sole known North Carolina populations are located in the New River valley, which extends northward to the Ridge-and-Valley Province before turning westward towards the Ohio.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Catocala dulciolaAlamance 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 Hanover 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.
Flight Comments: Our two records were made in June and July, which is consistent with dates elsewhere within its range (Schweitzer et al., 2011).
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from sites that have a mixture of pastures, old fields and regenerating hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are stenophagous, feeding primarily or exclusively on hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) (Schweitzer et al., 2011), although the exact species used in North Carolina have not yet been determined. - View
Observation Methods: Comes somewhat to lights but much more to bait (Schweitzer et al., 2011).
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Montane Rosaceous Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: SR
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G3G4 S2S3
State Protection: Listed as Significantly Rare by the Natural Heritage Program. That designation, however, does not confer any legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Despite its association with what appears to be fairly common habitat, this species is considered Globally Rare by NatureServe. While it is currently known from just a few sites in the northwest corner of North Carolina, we expect more sites to be occupied based on the widespread presence of apparently suitable habitat. More surveys need to be conducted, however, to determine whether it is using only particular species of Hawthorns that themselves may be rare or patchily distributed. The main threat to this species is likely to be spraying campaigns used to combat Gypsy Moths, particularly where broad-spectrum control agents are used, such as Btk. In any areas known to possess populations of dulciola, we recommend that only Gypsy-moth specific control measures be used.

 Photo Gallery for Catocala dulciola - Sweet Underwing

Photos: 2
Catocala dulciola
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-06-30
Buncombe Co.
Comment: iNat record - Interesting, most of the Hawthorne I know of is up at the top of the mountain, but there was one blooming on the edge of our yard that I am trying to ID, I think it may be one of the rarer species? Here is a link if you are interested https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155856505		Catocala dulciola
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-06-20
Buncombe Co.
Comment: