Catocala sappho
kah-TOCK-uh-lahMSAFF-oh
Strecker, 1874

Catocala sappho, (female-Louisiana), courtesy of Vernon A. Brou.

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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 sappho, (wingspan: 62-75mm), flies from Virginia and Tennessee south to Florida and west to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Missouri and Illinois. Forewings are off white with some grey-black-brown peppering and yellow-beige lines. The reniform spot is brown and the subreniform spot is almost pure white; the hindwings are black with a white fringe. Image courtesy of Troy Bartlett.

It has also been reported in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, , Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Catocala sappho, courtesy of Thomas Payne.

Catocala sappho, Dotsonville, Montgomery County, Tennessee,
July 10, 2013, courtesy of Thomas Payne.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala sappho are on the wing from May to July, September to October in highland areas. The Catocala sappho caterpillar feeds on Pecan (questionable) trees .

Rick Gilmore writes, May 7, 2007, "Jeff Slotten was the first person (that I know) to rear C. sappho. He got ova and when the larvae emerged, they were reared on hickory, not pecan. I saw pecan mentioned as a possible hostplant in an agriculture book."

Catocala sappho, lights, Woodlawn, Montgomery County, Tennessee, July 26, 2008, Tom Payne

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala sappho 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. Image courtesy of James Adams.

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 Carya illinoinensis .......

Hickories (SG) Pecan questionable

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