Catocala junctura

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Joined underwing
Catocala stretchii.JPG
Imago from above
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Catocala
Species:
C. junctura
Binomial name
Catocala junctura
Walker, [1858]
Synonyms

Numerous, see text

Catocala junctura, the joined underwing or Stretch's underwing, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1858. It is found throughout temperate North America, ranging from New York and Pennsylvania west to Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, and into Texas, and north to southern Illinois, extreme southern Alberta and Saskatchewan; it has also been recorded west of the Rocky Mountains from California and south-eastern British Columbia. It is typically found near water, where the food plants of its caterpillar larvae grow plentifully.

Contents

Description and ecology

Upperside pattern of imago of the typical form Catocala junctura.JPG
Upperside pattern of imago of the typical form

The wingspan is 70–75 mm or more. The forewings are grayish to brownish with prominent black bands above, and whitish below. The upperside of the hindwings is orange red, with two roughly concentric blackish bands on each wing, and lacking hairs at the base. The outer band separates a margin that is lighter in color than the rest of the upper hindwing. The inner band does not reach the trailing edge; its hindward tip forms a hook which points back at the wing base, or almost so. The underside of the hindwings is whitish along the leading edge; the trailing three-quarters of the wing are orange red. The inner black band is present on the underwings also. As in many relatives, the foreleg tibia of this species possess no spines, while the tarsi carry three rows of spines. [1]

Adults are on the wing from June to September depending on the location. There is probably one generation per year. The caterpillars feed on willow species (Salix) and in the west of their range Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii).

Classification

This moth is placed in the subfamily Catocalinae, either of the owlet moth family, Noctuidae, or if the Noctuidae are circumscribed more strictly of family Erebidae. Within the Catocalinae, it belongs to tribe Catocalini and – if the Noctuidae are circumscribed widely – subtribe Catocalina.

This species is probably related to other North American Catocala that feed on willow and cottonwood. If so, it is one of the rather few species of this radiation that ranges east of the Rocky Mountains. [1]

Synonyms

In the past, the name Catocala aspasia had often been used for this species, but actually it seems to refer[ verification needed ] to the rather similar C. electilis . [2]

Imago of the augusta form from above Catocala augusta2.JPG
Imago of the augusta form from above

Many taxa described as distinct species or subspecies have recently been merged with C. junctura, and are considered mere forms without taxonomic rank; the alternate vernacular name "Stretch's underwing" in fact refers to one of these, the former C. stretchii. Not all authors have already adopted these changes, which are, however, probably warranted. The junior synonyms and other invalid taxa used for the joined underwing are thus: [2]

  • Catocala arizonaeGrote, 1873
  • Catocala arizonensisStrand, 1914
  • Catocala aspasia saraFrench, 1883
  • Catocala augustaH.Edwards, 1875
  • Catocala elsaBeutenmüller, 1918
  • Catocala huachucaBeutenmüller, 1918
  • Catocala juliettaFrench, 1916
  • Catocala junctura augustaH.Edwards, 1875
  • Catocala juncturanaStrand, 1914
  • Catocala juncturellaStrand, 1914
  • Catocala juncturelloidesStrand, 1914
  • Catocala margheritaBeutenmüller, 1918
  • Catocala portiaH.Edwards, 1880
  • Catocala roseataCassino, 1919
  • Catocala saraFrench, 1883
  • Catocala stretchi( lapsus )
  • Catocala stretchiiBehr, 1870
  • Catocala stretchii var. margheritaBeutenmüller, 1918
  • Catocala stretchii var. sierraeBeutenmüller, 1897
  • Catocala walshi(lapsus)
  • Catocala walshiiEdwards, 1864

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Nelson & Loy (1983)
  2. 1 2 See references in Savela (2012)

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<i>Catocala</i> Genus of moths

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<i>Catocala fraxini</i> Species of moth

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<i>Catocala sponsa</i> Species of moth

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<i>Catocala electa</i> Species of moth

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<i>Catocala promissa</i> Species of moth

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<i>Tathorhynchus</i> Genus and species of moth

Tathorhynchus is a monotypic moth genus in the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1894. Its only species, Tathorhynchus exsiccata, the Levant blackneck or double-spotted snout, was first described by Julius Lederer in 1855. The nominate form is found on the Canary Islands and in North Africa, tropical Asia and tropical Africa. It has been introduced in Dominica and Argentina. Subspecies Tathorhynchus exsiccata fallax is found in the northern half of Australia, as well as Norfolk Island and New Zealand.

<i>Catocala amestris</i> Species of moth

Catocala amestris, the three-staff underwing, is a species of Catocalini that occurs in North America. It is considered endangered and is legally protected in the state of Michigan.

<i>Catocala cara</i> Species of moth

Catocala cara, the darling underwing, is an moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. It can be found in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains; it occurs west at least to Oklahoma and north at least to Illinois. It also ranges into southern Canada, but only barely so.

<i>Catocala piatrix</i> Species of moth

Catocala piatrix, the penitent underwing, is a moth from North America. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1864. It is placed in subfamily Catocalinae, either of the family Noctuidae, or – if the Noctuidae are circumscribed more strictly – of family Erebidae. Within the Catocalinae, it belongs to tribe Catocalini and – if the Noctuidae are circumscribed widely – subtribe Catocalina.

<i>Catocala nymphagoga</i> Species of moth

Catocala nymphagoga, the oak yellow underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in Southern Europe, from Bulgaria up to the Iberian Peninsula and sometimes further north as a migrant. It is also found in North Africa and Asia Minor.

<i>Eudocima materna</i> Species of moth

Eudocima materna, the dot-underwing moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae found in widespread parts of the world, mainly in tropical Asia extending to New Guinea and Australia as well as in Africa. Reports from the United States, Canada and the French Antilles are now considered to be Eudocima apta. The species can be differentiated from other Eudocima moths by the presence of small central black dot in each hindwing. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Catocala neogama</i> Species of moth

Catocala neogama, the bride, is an moth in the family Erebidae first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. It is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains, from Maine and Quebec south to northern Florida and west to South Dakota, New Mexico, and into Arizona and Texas. Its westernmost population from the semiarid Colorado Plateau region is rather distinct and was once considered a separate species, but is now regarded as a well-marked subspecies C. n. euphemia.

<i>Catocala amica</i> Species of moth

Catocala amica, the girlfriend underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1818. It is found from southern Canada through the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, ranging westward to Oklahoma and Arizona, northward to Minnesota and southwestward to Texas.

<i>Apopestes spectrum</i> Species of moth

Apopestes spectrum is a species of moth in the family Erebidae first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1787.

<i>Catocala delilah</i> Species of moth

Catocala delilah, the Delilah underwing, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Strecker in 1874. It is found in the southern and midwestern United States, from Ohio south to Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma.

<i>Catocala similis</i> Species of moth

Catocala similis, the similar underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by William Henry Edwards in 1864. It is found in North America from Ontario and Quebec south through Maine and Connecticut to Florida, west to Texas and Oklahoma, and north to Minnesota.

<i>Euparthenos</i> Genus of moths

Euparthenos is a monotypic moth genus in the family Erebidae erected by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1876. Its only species, Euparthenos nubilis, the locust underwing, was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. The adults resemble some of the underwing moths of genus Catocala, which are fairly close relatives, in color, pattern, and the habit of resting on tree trunks. But E. nubilis can usually be immediately recognized by the four concentric black bands per hindwing, as opposed to one or two in Catocala. Color morphs of E. nubilis with altered pattern are known, however, and these may be hard to recognize without detailed examination.

Erebidae Family of moths

The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings (Catocala); litter moths (Herminiinae); tiger, lichen, and wasp moths (Arctiinae); tussock moths (Lymantriinae), including the arctic woolly bear moth ; piercing moths ; micronoctuoid moths (Micronoctuini); snout moths (Hypeninae); and zales, though many of these common names can also refer to moths outside the Erebidae. Some of the erebid moths are called owlets.

Erebinae Subfamily of moths

The Erebinae are a subfamily of moths in the family Erebidae erected by William Elford Leach in 1815. Erebine moths are found on all continents except Antarctica, but reach their greatest diversity in the tropics. While the exact number of species belonging to the Erebinae is not known, the subfamily is estimated to include around 10,000 species. Some well-known Erebinae include underwing moths (Catocala) and witch moths (Thermesiini). Many of the species in the subfamily have medium to large wingspans, up to nearly 30 cm in the white witch moth, which has the widest wingspan of all Lepidoptera. Erebine caterpillars feed on a broad range of plants; many species feed on grasses and legumes, and a few are pests of castor bean, sugarcane, rice, as well as pistachios and blackberries.

References