Catocala maestosa
kah-TOCK-uh-lah mm mee-STOH-suh
Hulst, 1884

Catocala maestosa male 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 maestosa, the Sad Underwing (wingspan: 78-98mm), flies from New York south to Florida, west to Texas and easterm Oklahoma and north to Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota. Maesotsa is quite similar to, although usually larger than, vidua. Both have the dark arc from the costa, above the reniform spot, to the outer margin just below the apex. Maesotsa, however, lacks the dark bar, found on vidua, parallel to the inner margin. The reniform spot is brown and there is brown shading just outside the postmedial line. The hindwing fringe is white, narrow and heavily barred.

Image courtesy of Charles S. Lewallen

Catocala maestosa, Central Park, New York, courtesy of Marie Winn.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala maestosa are usually on the wing from July to October.

In Mississippi this moth has been taken from April to November, probably as a single brood with a very haphazard emergence pattern. The Catocala maestosa caterpillar feeds on hickories, pecans and walnuts.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala maestosa 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.

Catocala maestosa larva, New Braunfels, Texas, May 31, 2007,
courtesy of Jason Fowler, tentative id by Larry Gall.

Of the larval image above, Dr.Gall indicates it is most likely Catocala maestosa (most likely) or Catocala neogama.

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 aquatica Carya illinoinensis..... Juglans nigra

Water hickory Pecan Black walnut

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