Catocala praeclara charlottae
kah-TOCK-uh-lahmpree-CLAIR-uhmSHAR-lot-tay
Brou, 1988

Catocala charlottae, Louisiana, courtesy of Vernon A. Brou.

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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Catocala praeclara charlottae (wingspan: mm) flies in Louisiana and probably in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

Catocala praeclara charlottae, Marion County, Florida, courtesy of Leroy Simon, id by Vernon Brou.

The moth depicted above was originally sent to me as Catocala alabamae, but Vernon Brou indicates it is more likely Catocala charlottae. If Vernon's id is correct, then it should also be added to the Florida checklist.

The moth previously designated as Catocala charlottetae is now (2010) regarded as a Catocala praeclara charlottetae.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala praeclara charlottae flies as a single generation with moths on the wing from ??. The Catocala charlottae caterpillar feeds on ?? species.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala praeclara charlottae 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.

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Visit "Systematics of moths in the genus Catocala (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) IV.
Nomenclatorial stabilization of the Nearctic fauna, with a revised synonymic check list";
ZooKeys 39: 37–83 (2010) by Lawrence F. Gall, David C. Hawks