Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Catocala Members:	230 NC Records

Catocala ultronia (Hübner, 1823) - Ultronia Underwing

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Erebinae

Tribe:
Catocalini

P3 Number:
930841

MONA Number:
8857.00

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); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Wingspan: 50-60 mm (Sargent, 1976)

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

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:

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are oligophagous, feeding on several members of the Rosaceae. Wagner et al. (2011) state that Prunus species are the main host plants but that they also use apple (Malus) and hawthorn (Crataegus) to some extent. In North Carolina, we have feeding records for Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia) and Black Cherry (P. serotina). - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Rosaceous Thickets

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]

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 ultronia - Ultronia Underwing

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-15 Ashe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-08-11 Yancey 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: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Melody McMichael on 2025-06-26 Forsyth Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-06-21 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14 Rowan Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-05-31 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-05-18 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-27 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-27 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-08-06 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-26 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-07-14 Graham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-06-18 Lincoln Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-06-18 Lincoln Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-06-18 Lincoln Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-13 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-11 Carteret Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-30 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21 Buncombe Co. Comment: