Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Catocala amatrix (Hübner, [1813])
(1),
(2),
(3)
Noctua amatrix Hübner, [1813]
Catocala nurus Walker, [1858] (preocc.)
(4)
Catocala selecta Walker, [1858] (preocc.)
(4)
Catocala editha Edwards, 1874 (
112),
(5)
Catocala pallida Barnes & McDunnough, 1918 (preocc.)
Catocala amatrix form "hesseli" Sargent, 1976
(6) Explanation of Names
Specific epithet is Latin for "female lover."
Size
Forewing length 36-39 mm.
(8)Identification
Adult - very large. Forewing grayish to purplish-brown with wavy black lines; typical form has diffuse broken black band running from basal area to apex; form electa lacks this band, form pallida is very pale, form hesseli is very dark (melanic). hindwing pinkish-red with black bands; fringe wide and yellowish-white.
Range
Eastern North American, ranging west through the Great Plains, west to central Montana, Utah, and Arizona.
(8)Food
Larvae feed on leaves of poplar (Populus) and black willow (Salix nigra).
Life Cycle
Overwinters as an egg; eggs are laid on tree bark in the fall and hatch in the spring; larvae feed in foilage of trees, then descend the trunk and pupate on the ground; adults emerge from pupa at the soil surface.
Remarks
Skittish. Frequently rests by day under bark and in crevices, with a heads down posture.
(7)Print References
Barnes, Wm. & J.H. McDunnough, 1918. Illustrations of the North American species of the genus Catocala.
Memoirs of the AMNH 2(1): p.
32;
Pl.3, f.11-13;
Pl.11, f.3 (larva).
(3)
Hübner, J., [1813],
Sammlung europäischer Schmetterlinge 4:
Pl.103, f.487.