Catocala semirelicta
kah-TOCK-uh-lah mm sem-ee-reh-LIK-tuh
Guenee, 1852

Catocala semirelicta female, LaMalbaie, Quebec,
courtesy of Pierre De Tonnancour, August 20, 1994, via Pierre Legault.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
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TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: Noctuidae Group: Noctuinina Subfamily: Catocalinae Genus: Catocala, Schrank, 1802

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Catocala semirelicta moth (wingspan: 65-75mm) flies across Canada from British Columbia to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, (CNC has records for Prince Edward Island, but I have not seen it here as of yet), and then south to Maine and westward to Montana and at least into eastern Washington, south to Colorado and Utah.

Catocala semirelicta, Peterborough, Ontario, August 16, 2004, courtesy of Tim Dyson copyright.

Scott Shaw reports semirelicta is taken (not common) "on Pole Mountain, in the Medicine Bow Forest, Wyoming, about 10 miles east of Laramie near I-80 in the mountain willow bogs."

Catocala hippolyta, Catocala nevadensis and Catocala pura may all be synonymous with Catocala semirelicta, extending its range into California.

The forewing ground colour is white with dark lines and shadings. A diffuse dark bar runs from center of basal area to the outer margin a few mm above the anal angle. Note regular dentation of st line. The inner black bar on the lower wing usually terminates well before the inner margin. The form "atala" has a forewing that is uniformly grey. Unijuga is usually larger and has less contrasting black lines. The inner black bar on unijuga usually reaches the inner margin. The semirelicta to the right is from Gull Lake, Alberta, Canada.

Catocala semirelicta courtesy of John Acorn

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Catocala semirelicta flies as a single generation with moths on the wing from June to September.

Catocala semirelicta female, LaMalbaie, Quebec,
courtesy of Pierre De Tonnancour, August 20, 1994, via Pierre Legault.

Note the hw cell is completely dark, and red scaling terminates before reaching the cell.

Moths come in to lights readily and also to bait.

The Catocala semirelicta caterpillar show a preference for poplars and willows.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Catocala semirelicta 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. 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.

Populus balsamifera Populus tremuloides...... Salix

Balsam Poplar Quaking Aspen Willow

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The Semirelict Underwing.