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 |
"Moon River" |
Rick Gillmore writes, "C.P.Kimball's book, Lepidoptera of Florida is a good book, but an example of another mistake in Kimball's book is with Catocala vidua. He lists five specimens of C. vidua from Starke, Florida, May 1951. Steve Roman and I found all five specimens in the Florida State Collection in Gainesville, Florida, back in the early 70's. The five specimens were all Catocala maestosa."
It has also been reported in Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia.
Visit Catocala vidua, Pickens County, Georgia, September 1, 2008, courtesy of Aubrey Scott.
Visit Catocala vidua, Pickens County, Georgia, October 15, 2009, courtesy of Aubrey Scott.
Visit Catocala vidua, Rockburn Ridge Park, Elkridge, Howard County, MD, August 22, 2010, Saundra Byrd.
Catocala vidua, Central Park, New York, courtesy of Marie Winn.
Catocala vidua, Montgomery County, Tennessee, last week of September 2008, courtesy of Tom Payne.
The ground colour of the forewing is light grey. There is a distinguished dark arc running through the top of the reniform spot to the apex. There are heavy, dark anal and basal dashes.There is considerable white scaling inside the diffuse subterminal line. The hindwing is black with broad, white fringe, only lightly interrupted. Catocala vidua courtesy of Clemson University. |  |
Visit Catocala vidua, August-September, Woodlawn, Montgomery County, Tennessee, courtesy of Tom Payne.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:Catocala vidua flies as a single generation with moths on the wing from early August into late October.The vidua to the right, in typical resting pose, came into a light in Sag Harbor, New York, on September 22, 2002. Image courtesy of Hugh McGuinness. The Catocala vidua caterpillar feeds on hickories, walnuts, oak, willow and locust species. Adults come readily to bait and to lights. |
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Catocala vidua, Devonwood, Windsor, Ontario, August 30, 2008, courtesy of Maurice Bottos. copyright.
Many thanks to David Moskowitz who sends this beautiful image of a Catocala vidua photographed September 21, 2011, in East Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Catocala vidua, East Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey,
September 21, 2011, courtesy of David Moskowitz.
I have outlined various features in different coloured inks on a Diagnostic Copy of C. vidua, and have entered some comments so that techniques I use for determinations might be of use to others.
EGGS, CATERPILLARS, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:Eggs are deposited on tree bark in the fall and hatch the following spring.Mature larvae Image courtesy of |
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Carya illinoinensis....... |
Pecan |
Goto Main Catocala Index
This page is brought to you by Bill Oehlke and the WLSS. Pages are on space rented from Bizland. If you would like to become a "Patron of the Sphingidae/Catocala Sites", contact Bill.
Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help.
Enjoy one of nature's wonderments: Live Saturniidae (Giant Silkmoth) cocoons.
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butterfly to the left, a link to many worldwide insect sites. |
Catocala vidua, Ozark Mountains, Searcy County, Arkansas,
October 4, 2011, courtesy of Marvin Smith.
