Catocala residua
kah-TOCK-uh-lahmm reh-zid-JOO-uh
Grote, 1874

Catocala residua courtesy of James K. Adams.

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Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Catocala residua, The Residua Underwing, (wingspan: 60-73mm), flies from southern Ontario and Quebec (rare) and Maine south to North Carolina and Georgia west to Mississippi and Missouri and north to Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.

This species has also been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Note the grey-brown fringe (lower wings) which distinguishes residua from obscura. Obscura has white fringe and tends to be less common in northern portions of its range. The forewing subterminal line/area of residua tends to be pale as is the open, elongated subreniform spot. Catocala residua Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility

Catocala residua, Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey,
August 18, 2005, courtesy of Joe Garris.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala residua are on the wing from July to September. Peak flight is probably in August in the northern portions of range.

The Catocala residua caterpillar feeds on Carya species: pecan and hickories.

Catocala residua, courtesy of Reinhart Roehrig.

Catocala residua (verso), courtesy of Reinhart Roehrig.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface.

Catocala residua, Athol Worcester County, Massachusetts,
September 4, 2011, courtesy of Dave Small.

Visit Catocala residua (tentative id by Bill Oehlke), Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, September 25, 2011, Dave Small

Visit Catocala residua, Amherst, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, August 5, 2011, Joshua S. Rose

Visit Catocala residua, Hampshire County, September 8, 2013, Betsy Higgins

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala residua 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.

Carya glabra Carya illinoinensis....... Carya laciniosa Carya ovata

Pignut hickory Pecan Shellbark hickory Shagbark hickory

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