Catocala grisatra Brower, 1936
Grisatra Underwing
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G2
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: High Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 3
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Sandhills with Hawthorns
Catocala grisatra is an Underwing Moth with orange hindwings, as seen above. The wingspan (forewing measured from base to tip times two) is 4.8 to 5.5 cm. The gray forewings with the arrangement of black dashes is diagnostic for this species. It is larger than most of the similar species listed below.
At the Fall Line Sandhills, western section, Taylor Co., GA, where the pictured individual was taken, there are at least nine other species of Catocala flying in May that are similar in having orange hindwings. These include: Catocala connubialis, C. sordida, C. gracilis, C. similis, C. clintoni, C. micronympha, C. praeclara charlottae, C. louiseae, and C. pretiosa. C. grisatra is definitely larger than some of these (sordida, gracilis, similis, connubialis, and pretiosa), and slightly larger than the others for the most part. Other species with orange hindwings have been found with the species at Alligator Creek WMA in Wheeler Co., namely C. mira, C. lincolnana, and C. alabamae. As indicated above, the gray forewings with the arrangement of black dashes seen here in the specimen above, however, are unique to grisatra, so, when seen side by side with other species, this species is easily distinguishable. Worn specimens of C. grisatra tend to look darker and more uniform, as the gray scales are lost.
Sandhills, scrub habitat, and sandy pine-oak woodlands that have stands of Crataegus species in them. Be aware that the moth is NOT found in many places where the foodplants actually occur, indicating that the moth may require other specific factors that are not immediately obvious.
So far, larvae have been found on Yellowleaf Hawthorn, Crataegus flava Aiton (Rosaceae), but not others species of Crataegus in northern Florida. One larva has been successfully reared on Crataegus uniflora Münchh. (Schweitzer et al., 2011).
There is one generation a year of Catocala grisatra, with the adults flying from mid-May to early June at the Fall Line Sandhills in Taylor Co., Georgia. The type specimens from Athens, Clarke Co., were collected June 14 and June 24 (Brower, 1936).
Larvae are easily identified in the genus Catocala, but individuals are extremely variable, from nearly uniform medium gray to light gray with black wavy dorsal and lateral stripes. Some forms of the larvae are virtually indistinguishable from some other species (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). Larvae found on Crataegus should be reared out to verify the identity of the species, and those that are positively identified as Catocala grisatra should be reported to the author and the state.
Adults are not often encountered; indeed, this species is most frequently encountered as larvae. The egg laying behavior and earliest larval instars are not known.
This species needs to be looked for by searching for the Crataegus foodplants in sandy and scrubby habitats across the southern piedmont and coastal plain in Georgia. As indicated above, however, finding the appropriate foodplant does not insure finding the moth.
The moth occurs in isolated locations on the coastal plain and fall line from extreme southeastern North Carolina (Cromartie and Schweitzer, 1997) into Florida (though there are no confirmed records for South Carolina; Schweitzer, et al., 2011). UPDATE: There are now THREE known locations in the state of Georgia: one is the type locality in Clarke Co. (Athens; Brower, 1936), where the species was described from two 1926 specimens from Athens (and one from Florida). There are no recent records from this area. The other two locations are the Fall Line Sandhills, western section that is in Taylor Co., which is the farthest inland the species has been recorded, and Alligator Creek WMA in Wheeler Co. (this was confirmed in May 2021 during the week of the 17-24). These are the only two known active populations in the state currently, though it will likely be found in other places where there is an abundance of the foodplants.
Some habitats where there are big stands of Crataegus might be cleared for development, though really sandy habitats are not typically high priority for development. However, clearing of Crataegus in an attempt to emphasize other habitat components, such as during "restoration" of Longleaf Pine habitats, could be an issue.
As Crataegus is a scrubby, drought resistant plant that typically grows quickly in open sandy soils, fire could be an, but is not likely a, major issue.
If the invasive Gypsy Moths (Lymantria dispar) make it this far south from established populations farther north, populations of Catocala might be susceptible to Gypsy Moth control measures, specifically the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk). This bacterium is dispersed onto larval L. dispar populations, typically in the Spring, and Catocala grisatra larvae would likely be susceptible to infection by the bacterium (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). However, neither Crataegus or the open habitats where Crataegus grow would likely be under major impact from L. dispar, and so it seems unlikely that much Btk would be applied directly to C. grisatra habitat.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Pollution | Natural system modifications |
| Specific Threat | Fire & fire suppression | Air-borne pollutants | Other ecosystem modifications |
S1 for Georgia, since there are only two known currently extant populations.
"Restoration" of sandy habitats to Longleaf Pine habitat is a popular practice, but more emphasis needs to be put on conservation of existing sandy and scrubby microhabitats. At the Fall Line Sandhills site, there is (or was) significant heterogeneity of microhabitats, including those which harbor special species such as Catocala grisatra. Conserving Crataegus stands, most importantly C. flava, for this moth is at least as important as attempting any "restoration", and this holds for other moths of special interest as well (currently this includes Idia gopheri at this site, but should include others). As such, surveys need to be done to document species of special concern before any special management, such as logging/stripping vegetation for "restoration", is undertaken, to avoid actually destroying the necessary habitats for this and other species.
Brower, A. E. 1936. Description of a new species and a new form of Catocala (Lep., Noctuidae). Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, 31: 96-98.
Cromartie, W. J. and D. F. Schweitzer. 1997. Catocala louiseae, C. grisatra and C. jair in North Carolina. Entomological News 108(5): 389-390.
Schweitzer, D. F., M. C. Minno, and D. L. Wagner. 2011. Rare, declining and poorly known butterfly and moths (Lepidoptera) of forests and woodlands in the eastern United States, pages 312-314. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
James K. Adams, Professor of Biology, Dalton State College, Dalton, GA
June 27, 2020; modified May 25, 2021.