Catocala louiseae

Catocala louiseae, or Louise's underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species is endemic to the United States. The epithet, louiseae, is in honor of "the late Louise (Mrs. E.P.) Mellon" who funded the Carnegie Museum of Natural History expedition on which the type specimen was collected. The species was first described by John Bauer in 1965.

Distribution
C. louiseae is found in the United States from North Carolina south to Florida and west through Arkansas to Texas.

Description
The wingspan of C. louiseae is about 40 mm.

Life cycle
Adults of C. louiseae are on wing in May. There is probably one generation per year. The larvae feed on Vaccinium arboreum and probably other blueberries.

Taxonomy
Catocala louiseae is given precedence per Article 23.9.2 as a nomen protectum over its disused senior subjective synonym Catocala protonympha Boisduval, 1840, which becomes a nomen oblitum.