Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Catocala parta Guenée, 1852
(1),
(2),
(3),
(4),
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Catocala parta var.
perplexa Strecker, 1873
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Catocala parta var.
petulans Hulst, 1884
(3)
Catocala parta form
forbesi Franclemont, 1938
(8) Explanation of Names
Specific epithet from
Latin meaning "birth."
Form
forbesi Franclemont, 1938 named for William Trowbridge Merrifield
Forbes (1885-1968).
Identification
Adult - forewing mottled light gray and darker gray or brown with whitish patches; black basal, anal, and subapical dashes usually noticeable, sometimes indistinct; subreniform spot and area basal to reniform spot form a connected whitish patch; another whitish patch usually present mid-way along subterminal area. Hindwing black and yellowish-orange or salmon-colored; medial band black, narrow, does not reach inner margin; terminal band black, broad; fringe scalloped, yellowish-orange to whitish, continuous to apex; antennae simple; sexes alike. Some individuals have a distinct "face of Jesus" (with a thick white moustache) on the thorax.
Larva - long and slender, brown, with thin & faint dark lines along the back.
Range
Nova Scotia to Maryland, west to Utah, north to Alberta.
Type locality: Baltimore.
(9)Habitat
Riparian habitats, treed flood plains where host plants grow; adults are nocturnal and attracted to light and bait.
Season
Adults fly from June to October. Larvae from May through August.
Food
Larvae feed on leaves of poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix).
Life Cycle
One generation per year; overwinters as an egg.
See Also
Meske's Underwing has a similar mottled appearance with whitish patches but is slightly smaller and has a "dirty" or "dust-covered" forewing that lacks basal and anal dashes.
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.
20;
Pl.3, f.14;
Pl.11, f.4 (larva).
(4)
Guenée A. & J.B. Boisduval, 1852. Vol. 7. Noctuélites, tome 3. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Spécies général des lépidoptères.
Roret, Paris, 84.
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