Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Catocala Members:	254 NC Records

Catocala ilia (Cramer, [1775]) - Ilia Underwing

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Erebinae

Tribe:
Catocalini

P3 Number:
930792

MONA Number:
8801.00

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

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011)

Wingspan: 70-80 mm (Sargent, 1976)

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis.

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
Immature 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 from the full range of oak-containing habitats in the state, from martime forest and sand ridges to alluvial forest and high elevation mesic forests.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on oaks (Quercus spp.), mainly red oaks but also white oaks (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 [S5]

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 ilia - Ilia Underwing

158 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-25 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-25 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-04 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-04 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-23 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-23 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-08-06 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-03 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-07-10 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Tracy Feldman, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin, Becky Watkins on 2024-06-08 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-25 Carteret Co. Comment: Identified as Catocala ilia by Vernon Brou		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-25 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14 Macon Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14 Macon Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-31 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-31 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18 Caswell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30 Swain Co. Comment: Identified as Catocala ilia by Vernon Brou
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-27 Buncombe Co. Comment: