Catocala ilia
kah-TOCK-uh-lah mm ILL-ee-uh
(Cramer, 1776) Phalaena ilia

Catocala ilia from Michigan, courtesy of Cindy Mead.

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 ilia, the Ilia Underwing (also known as the Beloved Underwing or the Wife) (wingspan: 65-82mm), flies from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Canada, through New England (Connecticut) to Florida to Texas and Oklahoma and north through Missouri and South Dakota to Minnesota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Lep. Soc. season summary reports a specimen in Placer County, California. There is considerable variation in forewing patterning. In the form conspicua, the reniform spot is white against a dark background. Conspicua below in James K. Adams image. Note the cream fringe and deeply scalloped outer margin.

The ability of this moth to blend in with its background is very apparent in this Tim Dyson copyright image (August 31, 2004, Peterborough, Ontario) to the left. Other form names, previously assigned, include "confusa" where the forewing is an even grey-brown blend, "umbrosa" where there is no white in or around the reniform spot, "normani", a semi-melanic form, dark from base to postmedial line and "satanas", a melanic form with an entirely black forewing. "Normani" and "satanas" also tend to have wider black bands (in some cases breaking the red band) in the lower wings.

See an extremely rare form at Catocala ilia

The form names, above, including "umbrosa" Worthington are invalid in accordance with the ICZN (international code of zoological nomenclature) (forms hold no official status as a species). Umbrosa was subsequently found to be a distinct species from ilia, and Brou 2002 reapplied the name umbrosa, not as a form, but a newly described species.

Catocala ilia, Monroe County, New York, July 19, 2004,
courtesy of Steve Daniel copyright.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS: Catocala ilia are usually on the wing from June to September. The Catocala ilia caterpillar feeds on black, burr, red and white oaks. ECLOSION: Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface. SCENTING AND MATING: Catocala ilia females emit an airbourne pheromone and males use their antennae to track the scent plume. Catocala ilia August 1, 2005, Peterborough, Ontario, courtesy of Tim Dyson. copyright

EGGS, CATERPILLARS, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

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

Ron Nelson, teamed with Gabriel Larrabee, sent me the image below of Catocala ilia eggs from Milwaukee.

Penultimate instar top and final instar courtesy of James K. Adams.

Ron Nelson, teamed with Gabriel Larrabee, sent me the images below of Catocala ilia pupae from Milwaukee.

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 alba Quercus macrocarpa....... Quercus rubra Quercus velutina

White oak Burr oak Northern red oak Black oak

Catocala ilia courtesy of Jessse Donavan, New Jersey.

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