Catocala louiseae
kah-TOCK-uh-lah mm lew-EES-ay
J. Bauer, 1965

Catocala louiseae, male, Louisiana, courtesy of Vernon A. Brou.

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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Catocala louiseae, Louise's Underwing, (wingspan: 40mm) flies in North Carolina south to Florida and west to Arkansas and Texas.

There is a distinct white "smile" (in spread specimens) between the reniform and subreniform spots. There is also a narrow but distinct white line immediately following the black postmedial line. The hindwing is a deep yellow orange and the outer black band is interrupted and then followed by a dot, ending before the inner margin.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala louiseae are usually on the wing in May.

The foodplant for the Catocala louiseae caterpillar is unknown.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala louiseae 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.

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