Catocala atocala Brou, 1985
A highly localized species occuring mostly immediately along the Mississippi river drainage. Only two larvae are known (from one
ex ovis rearing attempt) and these are not distinguishable from larvae of
agrippina, a common and more
widely geographically distributed species. The wild larval fooplant of atocala remains unknown.
Gall et al. (2002) speculated
the foodplant might be
Nutmeg Hickory (Carya [Apocarya] myristicaeformis) on the basis of geography, but subsequent field work indicates
that not to be the case, with a more plausible scenario being atocala follows major watercourses within the
native (non-cultivated/naturalized) range of
pecan (Apocarya [Apocarya] illinoiensis).
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