Catocala piatrix
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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.
The wingspan of adults is about 70–80 mm. The forewings are dark brownish gray, darkest at the base, and with an oblique lighter band extending from the midwing to the leading edge near the wing base. The hindwings are yellow orange with dark hairs at the base (though these are not especially prominent) and two concentric black bands. The yellow zone separating the black bands is wide, with a relatively smooth edge; the outer edge of the hindwings is light yellow with some black bars extending from the outer band. As typical for hickory-feeding Catocala, both foreleg and hindleg tibiae of this species are spiny, and the tarsi carry four rows of irregular rows of spines each.
The moths fly from July to November depending on the location. The larvae feed on ash, butternut, hickory, pecan, persimmon, and walnut trees. The nominate subspecies can be found in the eastern part of the United States, and the subspecies Catocala piatrix dionyza can be found in Arizona. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Penitent Underwing sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 781st most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Penitent Underwing in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Penitent Underwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Penitent Underwing sightings, Austin ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Detroit (United States, under 5%) and Baltimore (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Catocala
The closest relatives of the Penitent Underwing that you can see in Austin (genus Catocala, Underwing Moths) are Sad Underwing (about 10%), Little Nymph Underwing (about 10%) and Agrippina Underwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Penitent Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (24 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
