Catocala nivea
kah-TOCK-uh-lahMNEYE-vee-uh
Butler, 1877

Catocala nivea, male, courtesy of Viktor Sinjaev.

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TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: Erebidae, Leach, [1815] Subfamily: Erebinae, Leach, [1815] Tribe: Catocalini, Boisduval, [1828] Genus: Catocala, Schrank, 1802

DISTRIBUTION: Catocala nivea nivea (wingspan: 78-105mm// fwl: 38mm), flies in Japan: Yokahoma (HT); Hokkaido; Honshu; Shikoku; Kyushu, and subspecies Catocala nivea asahinaorum Owada, 1986, flies in Taiwan. Catocala nivea krosawai Owada, 1986, There are probably subspecies as far west as Myanmar. FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS: Catocala nivea are usually on the wing in August to October. There might also be late July or early November appearances of some specimens. Catocala nivea female, courtesy of Viktor Sinjaev. The Catocala nivea caterpillar possibly?? feeds on willows and poplars. ECLOSION: Adults eclose from pupae at soil surface. SCENTING AND MATING: Catocala nivea 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. Eggs can be overwintered in the fridge crisper. Tiny hatchlings crawl like inchworms and are remarkably fast. They can escape through the smallest openings. At maturity larvae will utilize a few strands of silk to fashion cocoons amongst leaf litter. Adults probably emerge about 18-21 days later. Larval Food Plants Listed below are suspected?? 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 deltoides Populus nigra Populus tremuloides..... Salix Eastern cottonwood Lombardy poplar Quaking aspen Willow Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page. Return to Main Catocala Index This page is brought to you by Bill Oehlke and the WLSS. Pages are on space rented from Bizland. If you would like to become a "Patron of the Sphingidae or Catocala Sites", contact Bill. Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help. Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page. Enjoy one of nature's wonderments: Live Saturniidae (Giant Silkmoth) cocoons. To show appreciation for this site, click on the flashing butterfly to the left, a link to many worldwide insect sites. Return to Canadian Catocala Index Return to Main Catocala Index