Catocala chelidonia
Encyclopedia
Catocala chelidonia is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from Arizona
and Utah
to California
.
The wingspan
is 45-50 mm. Adults are on wing from June to September depending on the location. There is probably one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Quercus species.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found from Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 45-50 mm. Adults are on wing from June to September depending on the location. There is probably one generation per year.
The larvae feed on Quercus species.
Subspecies
- Catocala chelidonia chelidonia Grote, 1881 (from southern Nevada and south-central Utah southward and eastward through Arizona to New Mexico)
- Catocala chelidonia occidentalis Hawks, 2010 (along the western desert edge in southern California and northward to at least Trinity County)
- Catocala chelidonia uniforma Hawks, 2010 (mountains of south-eastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico)