Catocala palaeogama
kah-TOCK-uh-lahmpay-lee-oh-GAM-muh
Guenee, 1852

The Old Wife Underwing, courtesy of Jesse Donavan, New Jersey.

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: The Oldwife Underwing, Catocala palaeogama (wingspan: 60-70mm, Hodges #8795), flies in Ontario and Quebec (rare), through Maine and New Jersey to South Carolina, west to Arkansas and Oklahoma and north through Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. Catocala palaeogama, Connecticut, courtesy of John Himmelman.

annida Fager, 1882, form, has whitish forewings with very dark reniform spot, subapical spot and inner margin border.
phalanga Grt., 1864, form, has black basal patch and dark subterminal band on relatively light grey forewing
denussa Ehrman, 1893, is the melanic form

Catocala palaeogama form phalanga, August 30, 2006,
Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, courtesy of Joe Garris.

There is also a dark bar in the outer half of the median area, paralleling the inner margin halfway between the inner margin and the light, closed subreniform spot. The bar is especially evident in the phalanga form.

Catocala palaeogama, August 19, 2005,
Stillwater Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, courtesy of Joe Garris.

Catocala palaeogama, Quebec, courtesy of Pierre Legault.

Catocala palaeogama, Quebec, courtesy of Pierre Legault.

Catocala palaeogama, Quebec, courtesy of Pierre Legault.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala palaeogama flies as a single generation with moths on the wing from June to October.

Moths come in to lights readily and also to bait.

Catocala palaeogama, female underside, Montreal, Quebec,
September 2, 2004, street light, courtesy of Pierre Legault.

The Catocala palaeogama caterpillar show a preference for hickories and walnuts.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala palaeogama females emit an airbourne pheromone and males use their antennae to track the scent plume.

EGGS, CATERPILLARS, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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

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

Carya alba Carya glabra Carya illinoinensis...... Carya laciniosa Carya ovalis Carya ovata Castanea dentata Juglans nigra Malus pumila

Mockernut/White hickory Pignut hickory Pecan Shellbark hickory Red hickory Shagbark hickory American chestnut Black walnut Common Apple

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