Catocala jair
kah-TOCK-uh-lah mm JAY-ihr
Strecker, 1897

Catocala jair (Florida) by Harold J. Vermes.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: Noctuidae Group: Noctuinina Subfamily: Catocalinae Genus: Catocala, Schrank, 1802

MIDI MUSIC "Moon River" copyright C. Odenkirk MIDI CITY ON.OFF <bgsound src="moon.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

Catocala jair, the Jair Underwing (wingspan: 35-40mm), flies in southern New York, the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, in the coastal plain in Bladen County, North Carolina and in the northern half of Florida. Jeffrey R. Slotten has also recorded jair in Concan, Texas, May 21, 1995.

The moth is hard to distinguish from amica, but jair has broader, blunter forewings than amica and the post medial line of jair is straighter (much less dentate) than that of amica. The hindwings of both species seem identical.

Including two subspecies it is also found in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

There is a melanistic subspecies/form from New Jersey and New York.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala jair are usually on the wing from May to June. The Catocala jair caterpillar feeds on oaks.

Catocala jair (New Jersey) by Harold J. Vermes.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala jair females emit an airbourne pheromone and males use their antennae to track the scent plume.

EGGS, CATERPILLARS, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited on tree bark in the fall and hatch the following spring.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants. It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive, although some species seem very host specific. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Quercus.......

Oak

This page is brought to you by Bill Oehlke and the WLSS. Pages are on space rented from Bizland. If you would like to become a "Patron of the Sphingidae/Catocala Sites", contact Bill.

Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help.

Enjoy one of nature's wonderments: Live Saturniidae (Giant Silkmoth) cocoons.

To show appreciation for this site, click on the flashing butterfly to the left, a link to many worldwide insect sites.

Return to Canadian Index

Return to Main Index