Erebidae

Catocala mira Wonderful Underwing

10 9 n=2 8 • • 7 High Mt. 6 • N 5 • u 4 3 • • m 2 b 1 • e 0 r 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 NC counties: 7 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec o 10 f 9 n=3 = Sighting or Collection 8 • 7 Low Mt. High counts of: in NC since 2001 F 6 l 5 3 - Northampton - 2012-06-19 4 i 3 1 - Northampton - 2012-06-18 g 2 Status Rank h 1 1 - Northampton - 2012-06-18 0 NC US NC Global t 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 D Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec a 10 10 9 9 t 8 n=1 8 n=4 e 7 Pd 7 CP s 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 15 5 25 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Three periods to each month: 1-10 / 11-20 / 21-31 FAMILY: SUBFAMILY: TRIBE: Catocalini TAXONOMIC_COMMENTS: One of 103 species in this genus that occur in North America (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010, 2015), 67 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Included by Barnes and McDunnough (1918) in their Group XVII (also adopted by Forbes, 1954), which feed mainly on members of the Rosaceae; 12 other members of this group (as redefined by Kons and Borth, 2015b) also occur in North Carolina.

FIELD GUIDE DESCRIPTIONS: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012) ONLINE PHOTOS: TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, ADULTS: Barnes and McDunnough (1918); Forbes (1954); Sargent (1976) TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, IMMATURE STAGES:

ID COMMENTS: A medium-sized Underwing, with medium gray forewings and orange hindwings that have heavy black bands. The median area of the forewing is bluish-gray with a pale band extending obliquely along the outer side of the antemedian from the costa down to the subreniform, which is usually whitish and conspicuously ringed with dark gray (Forbes, 1954; Sargent, 1976). A basal dash is present but the basal area is not heavily shaded with brown or black as it is in crataegi, blandula, and pretiosa, nor is the inner margin as darkly shaded as in crataegi and blandula. The hindwings are often a deeper orange-yellow shade than other members of this group, but the black bands are otherwise similar. In addition to the differences from blandula and crataegi noted above, the gap between the antemedian and postmedian lines at the fold is wider than in those species. Differences from some forms of aesivalia can be subtle, but mira usually has an area of richer brown between the postmedian and subterminal lines and usually shows more contrast between the pale and dark areas in the median part of the forewing (Kons and Borth, 2015b).

DISTRIBUTION: Please refer to the dot map.

FLIGHT COMMENT: Please refer to the flight charts.

HABITAT: Our records from the Coastal Plain come from riparian habitats associated with brownwater river. Some of our Mountain records come from high ridges.

FOOD: Larvae feed mainly on Hawthorn but have also been reported on Crabapple and Plum (Wagner et al., 2011)

OBSERVATION_METHODS:

NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM RANKS: G5 S3S4

STATE PROTECTION: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

COMMENTS:

March 2021 The of North Carolina - Early Draft 1