Catocala orba is distinctly southern in distribution, and its larva is the only small Rosaceae-feeding species with a consistently blackened head capsule face, often with all other pattern essentially obliterated; in lateral view, the heavy black forms a distinct margin with the ground color from the vertex down. Lateral filaments dense, long, and multifurcate; A5 horn stubby and conical. Larvae of orba typically also present with conspicuous wide black dorsal spots, an uncommon feature in larvae of other Rosaceae-feeding species. All wild larval records from various Crataegus.