Catocala
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| Underwing moths | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Blue Underwing, Catocala fraxini
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More than 110, see text |
Catocala is a genus of noctuid moths commonly known as Underwings. (A few closely related genera are sometimes called Underwings as well, but usually the term is synonymous with this genus.) Most species have brightly coloured underwings, orange, red, or white. The genus name is a combination of two Greek words, kato behind, and kalos beautiful. The bright hindwings are not visible at rest, being hidden by the dull forewings, but they help the moth avoid predators such as birds if they are disturbed during the day (Stevens 2005). The genus occurs in Eurasia and North America. Due to their variety of colors and species diversity, Underwings are popular with collectors of lepidoptera. Larvae (caterpillars) of most species feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs.
[edit] Selected species
- Aholibah Underwing, Catocala aholibah
- Blue Underwing, Catocala fraxini
- Minsmere Crimson Underwing, Catocala conjuncta
- Oldwife Underwing, Catocala neogama
- Red Underwing, Catocala nupta
- Rosy Underwing, Catocala electa
- Catocala cerogama
- Catocala coccinata
- Catocala subnata
[edit] References
- Stevens, Martin (2005): The role of eyespots as anti-predator mechanisms, principally demonstrated in the Lepidoptera. Biol. Rev. 80(4): 573–588. doi:10.1017/S1464793105006810 (HTML abstract)
- Underwing Moths of Oklahoma
[edit] External links
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