Bride Underwing
Catocala neogama (Smith, 1797)
Family: Erebidae
Status: Resident
Range: Widespread across the United States. Absent from the Rocky Mountain region, the Dakotas, Georgia and Florida.
Larval Hostplant(s): Hickory (Carya), Walnut (Juglans) and Oak (Quercus)
NENHP Ranking: Not listed
Broods/Flight Times: A single summer brood, June/July into September.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands.
Avg. Wingspan: Large Underwing, 2 3/4 – 3 1/3 Inches.
Found at: Indian Cave State Park, Fontenelle Forest, Niobrara Valley Preserve, Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area
Overwintering: As eggs on tree bark.
Identification: FW with well-defined AM and PM lines, having significant brown scaling in post-median area bordering distal edge of PM line and sometimes in AM area; reniform spot large and reddish-brown; subreniform spot round to pork chop shaped and can be open or closed (i.e. no elongated “tail” extending to subterminal area); black basal dash present in both sexes; head and thorax grayish while abdomen is orange/yellow dorsally. A melanic form “mildredae” has all-black forewings. Hindwing with broad black and yellow/orange bands, as in several other Catocala species.(1) Hind tibia flattened, sparsely or unevenly spined.
Similar Species: Very similar in color and pattern to Youthful Underwing (C. subnata) but C. neogama is usually much less mottled, more gray and less brown. It is also noticeably larger (4).
Notes: Identifying features illustrated.
Literature Cited: (1) BugGuide.net, (4) Moths of North Carolina
🔗Links: Moth Photographers Group, BugGuide.net, Moths of North Carolina
