Catocala serena
kah-TOCK-uh-lahMsih-REE-nuh
Edwards, 1864

The Serene Underwing, Northeast Wisconsin, Calumet County,
July 28, 2006, courtesy of Carroll Rudy, digital repair to thorax (B. Oehlke).

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

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DISTRIBUTION: Catocala serena (wingspan: 55-60mm) flies in southern Ontario (MB), New York (HM/TN), New Jersey (JG), Connecticut, as far south as to at least Tennessee (WAM), and west to Pennsylvania, Illinois (BG) and at least as far west as eastern Wisconsin (CR). It has also been recorded in Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland (ME), Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The head and collar and abdomen are brown while the thorax is grey. The black marginal band of the lower wings is indented at the center, and the relatively narrow, deep yellow median band parallels this indentation. Basal hairs are brown.

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Catocala serena Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey,
July 20, 2006, courtesy of Joe Garris.

The pm line does not have the elongated "teeth" typical of many other Catocala species. Both the am and pm lines are thin, black and distinct on an otherwise relatively even grey (with a slight tinge of green) ground colour.

The hindwing fringe is pale orange and is not checked.

Catocala serena, Windsor, Ontario, coourtesy of Maurice Bottos.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala serena flies as a single generation with moths on the wing from July to September. The Catocala serena caterpillar shows a preference for Carya ovata (shagbark hickory) and Juglans nigra (Black walnut).

Moths come in to lights and to bait.

Visit Catocala serena, Dryden, Tompkins County, New York, August 27-28, 2013, Tom Nix.

Catocala serena, Myersville, Frederick County, Maryland,
August 16, 2003, light, Mark Etheridge.

Catocala serena, Haynes Bottom WMA, Montgomery County, Tennessee,
July 6, 2013, courtesy of Thomas Payne, slight digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala serena 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. Mature larvae Image courtesy of

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 ovata Juglans nigra......

Shagbark hickory Black walnut

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