''Catocala'' is a generally

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s in the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family (biology), family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwin ...

. The genus was erected by

Franz von Paula Schrank Franz von Paula Schrank (21 August 1747, in Neuhaus am Inn, Vornbach – 22 December 1835) was a German priest, botanist and entomologist. Biography He was ordained as a priest in Vienna in 1784, gaining his doctorate in theology two years lat ...

in 1802. The moths are commonly known as underwing moths or simply underwings. These terms are sometimes used for a few related moths, but usually – especially when used in

plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

, not as part of a species name – they are used to refer to ''Catocala'' only. Of the more than 250 known

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, slightly less than half are found in North America – mostly in the United States – while the rest occur in

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

. About one-fifth (almost 30) of these species are native to Europe. A few species occur in the northern

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...

and

Indomalaya The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia. Also called the Oriental realm by biogeographers, Indomalaya spreads all over the Ind ...

Description and ecology

Most species of ''Catocala'' have medium to large adults, cryptically coloured except for the hindwings, which are marked with stripes in orange, red, white, or even blue. In some, the hindwings are mostly blackish. Unlike what the common name "underwings" seems to suggest, the colour is brightest on the upperside. However, the bright hindwings are not visible at rest, being hidden under the dull forewings – hence the name. Due to their diversity and variety of colors and patterns, underwing moths are popular with collectors of

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

. In, ''The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II'', the genus described as follows. It is believed that the bright colors, arranged in usually roughly

concentric In geometry, two or more objects are said to be ''concentric'' when they share the same center. Any pair of (possibly unalike) objects with well-defined centers can be concentric, including circles, spheres, regular polygons, regular polyh ...

markings, at a casual glance resemble the

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

s of a

predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

y animal, such as a

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

. An underwing moth, well camouflaged in its daytime resting spot on a tree trunk or branch, will suddenly flash open the hindwings when disturbed. A

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

or other small predator that is not used to this display is likely to be frightened, allowing the moth to escape. However, unlike some other bright-colored moths which are bad-tasting or even poisonous to predators, underwing moths are well palatable at least to some birds (e.g. the blue jay, ''Cyanocitta cristata''). To assist in avoiding

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

predators such as

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s, these moths also possess (like many of their relatives) fairly well-developed hearing organs. Catocala ilia

The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of most species feed on the leaves of woody plants, usually trees but sometimes shrubs. Typical food plants are

Fagales The Fagales are an order of flowering plants in the rosid group of dicotyledons, including some of the best-known trees. Well-known members of Fagales include: beeches, chestnuts, oaks, walnut, pecan, hickory, birches, alders, hazels, hornb ...

of the families

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams, numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of ...

Fagaceae The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...

and

Juglandaceae The Juglandaceae are a plant family known as the walnut family. They are trees, or sometimes shrubs, in the order Fagales. Members of this family are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia. The nine or ten genera in the family have ...

– mainly

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

(''Carya''),

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

(''Quercus'') and

walnut tree Walnut trees are any species of tree in the plant genus ''Juglans'', the type genus of the family (biology), family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, tall, with pinnate leaves , with ...

(''Juglans'') species, as well as others such as

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

(''Alnus''),

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

(''Fagus''),

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

(''Betula'') and

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

(''Castanea''). The caterpillars of numerous

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

and some North American species feed on the

Salicaceae The Salicaceae are the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') includes the willows, poplars. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly expanded the circumsc ...

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'' (poplars) and ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

'' (willows), which belong to the

Malpighiales The Malpighiales comprise one of the largest Order (biology), orders of flowering plants. The order is very diverse, with well-known members including willows, Viola (plant), violets, aspens and Populus, poplars, Euphorbia pulcherrima, poinsett ...

. Less common larval food plants of ''Catocala'' are for example

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

s (''Ulmus'') and various

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

of the

Rosales Rosales (, ) are an order of flowering plants. Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards). "Rosales". At: Trees At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. At: Missouri Botanical Garden Website. (see ''External links'' below) Well-known members of Rosales include: ...

, ''

Tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Bri ...

'' (linden and basswood) of the

Malvales The Malvales are an Order (biology), order of flowering plants. As circumscribed by Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, APG II-system, the order includes about 6000 species within nine Family (biology), families. The order is placed in the eurosids II, w ...

, or some

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

of the

Fabales Fabales is an order of flowering plants included in the rosid group of the eudicots in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II classification system. In the APG II circumscription, this order includes the families Fabaceae or legumes (including the s ...

; as the preceding, these all belong to the Fabidae lineage of rosid

eudicot The eudicots or eudicotyledons are flowering plants that have two seed leaves (cotyledons) upon germination. The term derives from ''dicotyledon'' (etymologically, ''eu'' = true; ''di'' = two; ''cotyledon'' = seed leaf). Historically, authors h ...

s. More unusually, underwing moth caterpillars have also been found to feed on such plants as

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

(''Acer'') which belongs to a distant lineage of rosids, as well as on such plants as

ash tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...

s (''Fraxinus'') and

blueberries Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

(''Vaccinium'') which are asterids and quite unrelated to the other food plants by eudicot standards. The adults are predominantly nocturnal, flying from shortly after

dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enoug ...

right up to daybreak. They are generally most active about two hours after nightfall. However, several if not all species of underwing moths have a second activity period exactly around

noon Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cl ...

, during which they are also regularly found on the wing for about 1–2 hours each day. The genus name ''Catocala'' roughly means "beautiful hindwings". It is a combination of two

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

words, ''kato'' (κάτω, "the rear one" or "the lower one"), and ''kalos'' (καλός, "beautiful").

Classification

There are over 250 species in this genus. The species of ''Catocala'' are here divided into a Eurasian group, and another one which is found in North America. This does not imply actual relationships; it is mainly done to more conveniently deal with the large number of species. Still, it is not unlikely at all that the groups consist at least to some extent of closely related species. There are several

cryptic species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

es in ''Catocala'', e.g. the group around the Delilah underwing (''C. delilah''); these and other hitherto unknown species are still being discovered and described in some numbers. Thus, resolving the

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or Taxon, taxa during a specific time.Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, M ...

and

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

of the underwing moths is an ongoing effort, which has made () little progress. In the scientific literature, smaller subdivisions into putatively related species are sometimes applied, but there is no consistent and widely accepted taxonomic treatment for the genus as a whole.

Synonyms

Several distinct genera have formally been proposed for splitting from ''Catocala'', but these are all treated here as

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

s. These synonyms and other invalid names of ''Catocala'' are: * ''Andreusia'' Hampson, 1913 (unjustified emendation) * ''Andrewsia'' Grote, 1882 * ''Astiodes'' (''

lapsus In philology, a lapsus (Latin for "lapse, slip, error") is an involuntary mistake made while writing or speaking. Investigations In 1895 an investigation into verbal slips was undertaken by a philologist and a psychologist, Rudolf Meringer and ...

'') * ''Astiotes'' Hübner, 1823 * ''Belpharidia'' (''lapsus'') * ''Bihemena'' Beck, 1966 * ''Blephara'' Ochsenheimer, 1816 ( unavailable) * ''Blepharidia'' Hübner, 1822 * ''Blepharonia'' Hübner, 1823 (unavailable)"Blepharonia" was initially proposed as name for a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

in 1823, and only established as a genus name ''Blepharonia'' in 1825: Pitkin & Jenkins (2004a). * ''Blepharonia'' Hübner, 1825 * ''Blepharum'' Hübner, 1806 ( rejected) * ''Catabapta'' Hulst, 1884 * ''Catacola'' (''lapsus'') * ''Catocalla'' (''lapsus'') * ''Convercala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Corisce'' Hübner, 1823 * ''Corisee'' (''lapsus'') * ''Divercala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Ephesia'' Hübner, 1818 * ''Eucala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Eucora'' Hübner, 1823 * ''Eunetis'' Hübner, 1823 * ''Hemigeometra''

Haworth Haworth ( , , ) is a village in West Yorkshire, England, in the Pennines south-west of Keighley, 8 miles (13 km) north of Halifax, west of Bradford and east of Colne in Lancashire. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhop ...

, 1809 * ''Koraia'' Nye, 1975 * ''Lamprosia'' Hübner,

821 __NOTOC__ Year 821 (Roman numerals, DCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine general Thomas the Slav leads a revolt, and secures control over most of the Byzan ...

/small> * ''Lamprosia'' Hübner, 1827 (''non'' Hübner,

preoccupied) * ''Metacala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Mormonia'' Hübner, 1823 * ''Mormosia'' (''lapsus'') * ''Optocala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Promonia'' Beck, 1966 * ''Puercala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Reticcala'' Beck, 1966 * ''Simplicala'' Beck, 1966

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...
species

* '' Catocala abacta'' Staudinger, 1900 * '' Catocala abamita'' Bremer & Grey, 1853 (including ''C. scortum'') * '' Catocala actaea'' Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 * '' Catocala adultera'' Ménétries, 1856 * '' Catocala aenigma'' Sheljuzhko, 1943 * '' Catocala aestimabilis'' Staudinger, 1892 * '' Catocala afghana'' Swinhoe, 1885 * '' Catocala agitatrix'' Graeser, 1889 (including ''C. mabella'') * '' Catocala amabilis'' Bang-Haas, 1907 * '' Catocala amnonfreidbergi'' Kravchenko et al., 2008 * '' Catocala ariana'' Vartian, 1964 * '' Catocala armandi'' (including ''C. davidi'') * '' Catocala artobolevskiji'' Sheljuzhko, 1943 * '' Catocala bella'' (including ''C. serenides'') * '' Catocala bokhaica'' * '' Catocala borthi'' Saldaitis, Ivinskis, Floriani & Babics, 2012 * '' Catocala brandti'' * '' Catocala butleri'' * '' Catocala catei'' Weisert, 1998 * '' Catocala chenyixini'' Ishizuka, 2011 * '' Catocala columbina'' * '' Catocala coniuncta'' – Minsmere crimson underwing * '' Catocala connexa'' * '' Catocala contemnenda'' * '' Catocala conversa'' * '' Catocala danilovi'' Bang-Haas, 1927 * '' Catocala dariana'' Sviridov, Speidel, Reshöft, 1996 * '' Catocala davidi'' Oberthür, 1881 * '' Catocala deducta'' Eversmann, 1843 * '' Catocala dejeani'' (sometimes in ''C. kuangtungensis'') * '' Catocala desiderata'' * '' Catocala detrita'' Warren, 1913 * '' Catocala deuteronympha'' * '' Catocala dilecta'' Hübner, 808/small> (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

of ''Astiotes'') * '' Catocala disjuncta'' * '' Catocala dissimilis'' (including ''C. nigricans'') * '' Catocala distorta'' Butler, 1889 * '' Catocala diversa'' * '' Catocala doerriesi'' * '' Catocala dotatoides'' * '' Catocala dula'' * '' Catocala duplicata'' * '' Catocala editarevayae'' * '' Catocala electa'' – rosy underwing * '' Catocala ella'' Butler, 1877 * '' Catocala ellamajor'' Ishizuka, 2010 * '' Catocala elocata'' – French red underwing * '' Catocala eminens'' Staudinger, 1892 * '' Catocala eutychea'' * '' Catocala flavescens'' * '' Catocala florianii'' Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2008 * '' Catocala formosana'' Okano, 1958 * '' Catocala fraxini'' – blue underwing, Clifden nonpareil (type of ''Hemigeometra'') * '' Catocala fredi'' Bytinsky-Salz & Brandt, 1937 * '' Catocala fugitiva'' Warren, 1914 * '' Catocala fulminea'' (type of ''Ephesia'') * '' Catocala fuscinupta'' * '' Catocala gansan'' Ishizuka & M. Wang, 2013 * '' Catocala giuditta'' Schawerda, 1934 * '' Catocala haitzi'' Bang-Haas, 1936 * '' Catocala hariti'' Ishizuka & Ohshima, 2002 * '' Catocala helena'' * '' Catocala hoenei'' Mell, 1936 * '' Catocala hoferi'' Ishizuka & Ohshima, 2003 * '' Catocala hymenaea'' * '' Catocala hymenoides'' Draeseke, 1927 * '' Catocala hyperconnexa'' Sugi, 1965 * '' Catocala inconstans'' Butler, 1889 * '' Catocala infasciata'' Mell, 1936 * '' Catocala intacta'' * '' Catocala invasa'' * '' Catocala jansseni'' A. E. Prout, 1924 * '' Catocala jonasii'' Butler, 1877 * '' Catocala jouga'' Ishizuka, 2003 * '' Catocala juncta'' * '' Catocala jyoka'' Ishizuka, 2006 * '' Catocala kaki'' Ishizuka, 2003 * '' Catocala kasenko'' Ishizuka, 2007 * '' Catocala koreana'' Staudinger, 1892 * '' Catocala kotschubeyi'' Sheljuzhko, 1927 * '' Catocala kuangtungensis'' * '' Catocala kusnezovi'' Püngeler, 1914 * '' Catocala lara'' Bremer, 1861 * '' Catocala largeteaui'' Oberthür, 1881 * '' Catocala laura'' Speidel, Ivinskis & Saldaitis, 2008 * '' Catocala leechi'' * '' Catocala lehmanni'' Speidel, Ivinskis & Saldaitis, 2008 * '' Catocala lesbia'' * '' Catocala longipalpis'' Mell, 1936 * '' Catocala lupina'' Herrich-Schäffer, 851/small> * '' Catocala luscinia'' Brandt, 1938 * '' Catocala maculata'' Vincent, 1919 * '' Catocala mariana'' * '' Catocala martyrum'' Oberthür, 1881 * '' Catocala maso'' Ishizuka, 2011 * '' Catocala mesopotamica'' * '' Catocala mirifica'' Butler, 1877 * '' Catocala moltrechti'' Bang-Haas, 1927 * '' Catocala musmi'' * '' Catocala naganoi'' Sugi, 1982 * '' Catocala nagioides'' * '' Catocala naumanni'' Sviridov, 1996 * '' Catocala neglecta'' * '' Catocala neonympha'' Esper, 1805 (type of ''Eucora'') * '' Catocala nivea'' Butler, 1877 * '' Catocala nubila'' * '' Catocala nupta'' – red underwing * '' Catocala nymphaea'' * '' Catocala nymphaeoides'' Herrich-Schäffer, 1852 * '' Catocala nymphagoga'' – oak yellow underwing * '' Catocala oberthueri'' Austaut, 1879 * '' Catocala obscena'' Alphéraky, 1879 * '' Catocala ohshimai'' Ishizuka, 2001 * '' Catocala olgaorlovae'' * '' Catocala optata'' * '' Catocala optima'' – Turanga underwing * '' Catocala pacta'' * '' Catocala paki'' Kishida, 1981 * '' Catocala patala'' Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 * '' Catocala pataloides'' * '' Catocala persimilis'' * '' Catocala pirata'' * '' Catocala praegnax'' Walker, 1858 * '' Catocala prolifica'' Walker, 1857 * '' Catocala promissa'' – light crimson underwing * '' Catocala proxeneta'' Alphéraky, 1895 * '' Catocala pudica'' Moore, 1879 * '' Catocala pudica sabine'' Saldaitis, Pekarsky & Borth 2014 * '' Catocala puella'' * '' Catocala puerpera'' (type of ''Eunetis'') * '' Catocala puerperoides'' * '' Catocala remissa'' * '' Catocala repudiata'' * '' Catocala rhodosoma'' Röber, 1927 * '' Catocala seibaldi'' Saldaitis, Ivinskis & Borth, 2010 (including ''C. pseudoformosana'') * '' Catocala seiohbo'' * '' Catocala separans'' * '' Catocala separata'' * '' Catocala sinyaevi'' Sviridov, 2004 * '' Catocala solntsevi'' * '' Catocala sponsa'' – dark crimson underwing * '' Catocala sponsalis'' * '' Catocala stamensis'' Kishida & Suzuki, 2002 * '' Catocala streckeri'' * '' Catocala sultana'' (sometimes in ''C. optata'') * '' Catocala svetlana'' Sviridov, 1997 * '' Catocala szechuena'' * '' Catocala tapestrina'' Moore, 1882 * '' Catocala thomsoni'' A. E. Prout, 1924 * '' Catocala timur'' – Timur underwing * '' Catocala tokui'' * '' Catocala toropovi'' Saldaitis, Kons & Borth, 2014 * '' Catocala triphaenoides'' Oberthür, 1881 * '' Catocala uljanae'' Sinyaev, Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2007 * '' Catocala viviannae'' * '' Catocala weigerti'' Hacker, 1999 * '' Catocala wushensis'' * '' Catocala xarippe'' Butler, 1877 (formerly in ''C. fulminea'') * '' Catocala xizangensis'' Chen, 1991 Comparison of Eurasian species Image:Catocala actaea 01.jpg, '' Catocala actaea'' Image:Catocala agitatrix.jpg, '' Catocala agitatrix'' Image:Catocala coniuncta.jpg, '' Catocala conjuncta'' Image:Catocala conversa.jpg, '' Catocala conversa'' Image:Catocala dilecta.jpg , '' Catocala dilecta'' Image:Catocala disjuncta.jpg, '' Catocala disjuncta'' Image:Catocala diversa.jpg, '' Catocala diversa'' Image:Catocala electa01.jpg, '' Catocala electa''
rosy underwing Image:Catocala elocata.01.jpg, '' Catocala elocata''
French red underwing Image:Catocala eutychea.jpg, '' Catocala eutychea'' Image:Catocala fraxini.01.jpg, '' Catocala fraxini''
blue underwing

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

of ''Hemigeometra'' Image:'Catocala fulminea'.jpg, '' Catocala fulminea''
type species of ''Ephesia'' Image:Catocala hymenaea.jpg, '' Catocala hymenaea'' Image:Catocala lara 01.jpg, '' Catocala lara'' Image:Catocala lupina.jpg, '' Catocala lupina'' Image:Catocala mariana.jpg, '' Catocala mariana'' Image: Catocala neonympha.01.jpg, '' Catocala neonympha'' Image:Catocala nupta.01.jpg, '' Catocala nupta''
red underwing
type species of ''Catocala'' Image:Catocala nymphaea.01.jpg, '' Catocala nymphaea'' Image:Catocala nymphagoga.jpg, '' Catocala nymphagoga''
oak yellow underwing Image:Catocala optata.jpg, '' Catocala optata'' Image:Catocala pacta.jpg , '' Catocala pacta'' Image:Catocala promissa.jpg, '' Catocala promissa''
light crimson underwing Image:Catocala puerpera.jpg, '' Catocala puerpera''
type species of ''Eunetis'' Image:Catocala separata.jpg, '' Catocala separata'' Image:Catocala sponsa.01.jpg, '' Catocala sponsa''
dark crimson underwing

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...
species

* '' Catocala abbreviatella'' * '' Catocala agrippina'' – Agrippina underwing * '' Catocala aholibah'' – Aholibah underwing * '' Catocala alabamae'' – Alabama underwing, titan underwing (including ''C. olivia, C. titania'') * '' Catocala allusa'' (sometimes in ''C. faustina'') * '' Catocala amatrix'' – sweetheart underwing (type of ''Lamprosia'') * '' Catocala amestris'' – three-staff underwing * '' Catocala amica'' – girlfriend underwing (type of ''Corisce'') * '' Catocala andromache'' – Andromache underwing * '' Catocala andromedae'' – Andromeda underwing, gloomy underwing * '' Catocala angusi'' – Angus' underwing * '' Catocala antinympha'' – sweetfern underwing (type of ''Catabapta'') * '' Catocala atocala'' – Atocala underwing, Brou's underwing * '' Catocala badia'' – bay underwing, bayberry underwing, old maid * '' Catocala benjamini'' – Benjamin's underwing (formerly in ''C. andromache'') * '' Catocala blandula'' – charming underwing * '' Catocala briseis'' – Briseis underwing, ribbed underwing * '' Catocala caesia'' – bluish-gray underwing * '' Catocala californica'' (including ''C. erichi'') * '' Catocala californiensis'' * '' Catocala cara'' – darling underwing * '' Catocala carissima'' – carissima underwing (formerly in ''C. cara'') * '' Catocala cerogama'' – yellow-banded underwing * '' Catocala charlottae'' (sometimes in ''C. praeclara'') * '' Catocala chelidonia'' * '' Catocala cleopatra'' (sometimes in ''C. faustina'') * '' Catocala clintoni'' – Clinton's underwing * '' Catocala coccinata'' – scarlet underwing * '' Catocala concumbens'' – pink underwing, sleepy underwing * '' Catocala connubialis'' – connubial underwing * '' Catocala consors'' – consort underwing * '' Catocala crataegi'' – hawthorn underwing, chokeberry underwing * '' Catocala dejecta'' – dejected underwing * '' Catocala delilah'' – Delilah underwing * '' Catocala desdemona'' – Desdemona underwing (including ''C. ixion'', formerly in ''C. delilah'') * '' Catocala dulciola'' – quiet underwing, sweet underwing * '' Catocala electilis'' * '' Catocala epione'' – Epione underwing (type of ''Mormonia'') * '' Catocala faustina'' * '' Catocala flebilis'' – mournful underwing * '' Catocala francisca'' (sometimes in ''C. hermia'') * '' Catocala frederici'' * '' Catocala gracilis'' – graceful underwing * '' Catocala grisatra'' – grisatra underwing * '' Catocala grotiana'' – Grote's underwing * '' Catocala grynea'' – woody underwing * '' Catocala habilis'' – habilis underwing * '' Catocala hermia'' – Hermia underwing (including ''C. sheba'') * '' Catocala herodias'' – Herodias' underwing, Gerhard's underwing * '' Catocala hippolyta'' (sometimes in ''C. semirelicta'') * '' Catocala ilia'' – beloved underwing, Ilia underwing, wife underwing * '' Catocala illecta'' – Magdalen underwing * '' Catocala innubens'' – betrothed underwing * '' Catocala insolabilis'' – inconsolable underwing * '' Catocala irene'' – Irene's underwing * '' Catocala jair'' – Jair underwing, barrens underwing * '' Catocala jessica'' – Jessica underwing (including ''C. babayaga'') * '' Catocala johnsoniana'' – Johnson's underwing * '' Catocala judith'' – Judith's underwing * '' Catocala junctura'' – joined underwing, Stretch's underwing (including ''C. elsa, C. stretchii'') * '' Catocala lacrymosa'' – tearful underwing * '' Catocala lincolnana'' – Lincoln underwing * '' Catocala lineella'' – lineella underwing, little lined underwing, steely underwing (formerly in ''C. amica'') * '' Catocala louiseae'' – Louise's underwing (including ''C. protonympha'') * '' Catocala luciana'' – shining underwing * '' Catocala maestosa'' – sad underwing * '' Catocala manitoba'' – Manitoba underwing (sometimes in ''C. praeclara'') * '' Catocala marmorata'' – marbled underwing * '' Catocala mcdunnoughi'' – McDunnough's underwing * '' Catocala meskei'' – Meske's underwing * '' Catocala messalina'' – Messalina underwing (type of ''Andrewsia'') * '' Catocala micronympha'' – little nymph underwing, little bride underwing * '' Catocala minuta'' – little underwing * '' Catocala mira'' – wonderful underwing * '' Catocala miranda'' – Miranda underwing * '' Catocala muliercula'' – little wife underwing * '' Catocala myristica'' - Myristica underwing Kons & Borth, 2015 * '' Catocala nebulosa'' – clouded underwing * '' Catocala neogama'' – the bride (including ''C. euphemia'') * '' Catocala nuptialis'' – married underwing * '' Catocala obscura'' – obscure underwing * '' Catocala ophelia'' * '' Catocala orba'' – Orba underwing * '' Catocala palaeogama'' – old wife underwing (sometimes in ''C. neogama'') * '' Catocala parta'' – mother underwing * '' Catocala piatrix'' – penitent underwing * '' Catocala praeclara'' – praeclara underwing * '' Catocala pretiosa'' – precious underwing (formerly in ''C. crataegi'') ** ''Catocala pretiosa texarkana'' – Texarkana underwing * '' Catocala relicta'' – the relict, "white underwing" * '' Catocala residua'' – residua underwing * '' Catocala retecta'' – yellow-gray underwing ** ''Catocala'' (''retecta'') ''luctuosa'' – yellow-fringed underwing * '' Catocala robinsoni'' – Robinson's underwing * '' Catocala sappho'' – Sappho underwing * '' Catocala semirelicta'' – semirelict underwing (including ''C. nevadensis, C. pura'') * '' Catocala serena'' – serene underwing * '' Catocala similis'' – similar underwing * '' Catocala sordida'' – sordid underwing * '' Catocala subnata'' – youthful underwing * '' Catocala texanae'' – Texan underwing * '' Catocala ulalume'' – Ulalume underwing * '' Catocala ultronia'' – dark red underwing, ultronia underwing * '' Catocala umbrosa'' * '' Catocala unijuga'' – once-married underwing * '' Catocala verrilliana'' – Verrill's underwing * '' Catocala vidua'' – widow underwing * '' Catocala violenta'' * '' Catocala whitneyi'' – Whitney's underwing Comparison of North American species File:Catocala nurus.JPG, '' Catocala amatrix'' f. ''nurus''
sweetheart underwing
type species of ''Lamprosia'' File:Catocala amica.jpg, '' Catocala amica''
girlfriend underwing
type species of ''Corisce'' File:Catocala allusa.JPG, '' Catocala allusa'' File:Catocala andromache2.JPG, '' Catocala andromache''
Andromache underwing File:Catocala angusi 01.jpg, '' Catocala angusi''
Angus' underwing File:Catocala antinympha.jpg, '' Catocala antinympha''
sweetfern underwing File:Catocala phoebe.JPG, '' Catocala badia''
bay underwing File:Catocala benjamini benjamini.JPG, '' Catocala benjamini benjamini''
Benjamin's underwing File:Catocala carissima.JPG, '' Catocala carissima''
carissima underwing File:Catocala cerogama.jpg, '' Catocala cerogama''
yellow-banded underwing File:Catocala coccinata sinuosa.jpg, '' Catocala coccinata''
scarlet underwing File:Catocala concumbens2.JPG, '' Catocala concumbens''
pink underwing File:Catocala sancta.JPG, '' Catocala connubialis'' f. ''sancta''
connubial underwing File:Catocala delilah mounted.JPG, '' Catocala delilah''
Delilah underwing File:Catocala desdemona.JPG, '' Catocala desdemona''
Desdemona underwing File:Catocala frederici2.JPG, '' Catocala frederici'' File:Catocala grotiana.JPG, '' Catocala grotiana''
Grote's underwing File:Catocala grynea 01.JPG, '' Catocala grynea''
woody underwing File:Catocala habilis.jpg, '' Catocala habilis''
habilis underwing File:Catocala diantha.JPG, '' Catocala hermia'' f. ''diantha''
Hermia underwing File:Catocala innubens.jpg, '' Catocala innubens''
betrothed underwing File:Catocala irene2.JPG, '' Catocala irene''
Irene's underwing File:Catocala jessica.JPG, '' Catocala jessica''
Jessica underwing File:Catocala johnsoniana.JPG, '' Catocala johnsoniana''
Johnson's underwing File:Catocala judith 01.jpg, '' Catocala judith''
Judith's underwing File:Catocala lacrymosa 01.jpg, '' Catocala lacrymosa''
tearful underwing File:Catocala nerissa.JPG, '' Catocala lineella''
lineella underwing File:Catocala nebraskae.JPG, '' Catocala luciana''
shining underwing File:Catocala maestosa2.JPG, '' Catocala maestosa''
sad underwing File:Catocala manitoba.JPG, '' Catocala manitoba''
Manitoba underwing File:Catocala mcdunnoughi.JPG, '' Catocala mcdunnoughi''
McDunnough's underwing File:Catocala rosalinda.JPG, '' Catocala meskei'' f. ''rosalinda''
Meske's underwing File:Catocala micronympha.jpg, '' Catocala micronympha''
little nymph underwing File:Catocala euphemia.JPG, '' Catocala neogama euphemia''
the bride File:Catocala obscura.jpg, '' Catocala obscura''
obscure underwing File:Catocala palaeogama 01.jpg, '' Catocala palaeogama''
old wife underwing File:Catocala dionyza2.JPG, '' Catocala piatrix dionyza''
penitent underwing File:Catocala relicta.01.jpg, '' Catocala relicta''
the relict File:Catocala luctuosa.JPG, '' Catocala retecta luctuosa''
yellow-fringed underwing File:Catocala serena.jpg, '' Catocala serena''
serene underwing File:Catocala subnata 01.JPG, '' Catocala subnata''
youthful underwing File:Catocala texanae.JPG, '' Catocala texanae''
Texan underwing File:Catocala ultronia.jpg, '' Catocala ultronia''
dark red underwing File:Catocala unijuga.JPG, '' Catocala unijuga''
once-married underwing File:Catocala beutenmuelleri.JPG, '' Catocala verrilliana'' f. ''beutenmuelleri''
Verrill's underwing File:Catocala vidua.jpg, '' Catocala vidua''
widow underwing

Other "underwing moths"

As noted in the introduction, some species besides the Catocala species are also commonly known as "underwings". Typically however, the name is used with a qualifier, such as a color term, in these cases. Non-''Catocala'' "underwing moths" are typically owlet moths, namely: Subfamily Catocalinae * Beautiful yellow underwing (''Anarta myrtilli'') * Brown underwing (''Minucia lunaris'') * Locust underwing (''Euparthenos nubilis'') * (European) white underwing (''Catephia alchymista'') – in North America, "white underwing" typically refers to '' Catocala relicta'' Subfamily Amphipyrinae *

Copper underwing The copper underwing, humped green fruitworm or pyramidal green fruitworm (''Amphipyra pyramidea'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distributi ...

(''Amphipyra pyramidea'') * Svensson's copper underwing (''Amphipyra berbera'') Subfamily Erebinae * False underwing moth (''Allotria elonympha'') Subfamily Hadeninae * Black underwing (''Mormo maura'') * Blossom underwing (''Orthosia miniosa'') * Broad-bordered white underwing (''Hadula melanopa'') * Guernsey underwing (''Polyphaenis sericata'') * Lunar underwing (''Omphaloscelis lunosa'') * Small dark yellow underwing (''Coranarta cordigera'') * Small yellow underwing (''Panemeria tenebrata'') * Straw underwing (''Thalpophila matura'') Subfamily Noctuinae * Pearly underwing (''Peridroma saucia'') * Yellow underwings proper, some 15 species in the genus '' Noctua'' However, the "orange underwings" are two species of genus '' Archiearis'' of the

geometer moth The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek (derivative form of or "the earth"), and "measure" in referen ...

family (Geometridae): * Orange underwing (''Archiearis parthenias'') * Light orange underwing (''Archiearis notha'') Image:Mormo maura.1.JPG, Black underwing
'' Mormo maura''
Hadeninae Image:Minucia lunaris.jpg, Brown underwing
'' Minucia lunaris''
Catocalinae Image:Cathephia alchymista.jpg, White underwing
'' Catephia alchymista''
Catocalinae Image:Amphipyra berbera001.jpg, Svensson's copper underwing
'' Amphipyra berbera''
Amphipyrinae Image:Amphipyra pyramidea.jpg, Copper underwing
'' Amphipyra pyramidea''
Amphipyrinae Image:Noctua tirrenica female.jpg, Mediterranean yellow underwing
'' Noctua tirrenica''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua fimbriata2.jpg, Broad-bordered yellow underwing
'' Noctua fimbriata''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua pronuba.o1.jpg, Large yellow underwing
'' Noctua pronuba''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua jantina.01.jpg, Lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing
'' Noctua janthina''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua interjecta.jpg, Least yellow underwing
'' Noctua interjecta''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua interposita.JPG, Least yellow underwing
'' Noctua interposita''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua orbona.01.jpg, Lunar yellow underwing
'' Noctua orbona''
Noctuinae Image:Noctua comes.01.jpg, Lesser yellow underwing
'' Noctua comes''
Noctuinae Image:Coranarta cordigera.jpg, Small dark yellow underwing
'' Coranarta cordigera''
Hadeninae Image:Anarta myrtilli 01.jpg, Beautiful yellow underwing
'' Anarta myrtilli''
Catocalinae Image:Panemeria tenebrata.jpg, Small yellow underwing
'' Panemeria tenebrata''
Catocalinae Image:Hadula melanopa.jpg, Broad-bordered white underwing
'' Hadula melanopa''
Hadeninae Image:Polyphaenis sericata.01.jpg, Guernsey underwing
'' Polyphaenis sericata''
Hadeninae Image:Thalpophila matura.jpg, Straw underwing
'' Thalpophila matura''
Hadeninae Image:Orthosia miniosa 01.jpg, Blossom underwing
'' Orthosia miniosa''
Hadeninae Image:Peridroma saucia 01.jpg, Pearly underwing
''

Peridroma saucia ''Peridroma saucia'', the pearly underwing or variegated cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was Species description, first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is found in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. T ...

''
Noctuinae Image:Archiearis parthenias.jpg, Orange underwing
'' Archiearis parthenias''
Geometridae: Archiearinae Image:Archiearis notha.jpg, Light orange underwing
'' Archiearis notha''
Geometridae: Archiearinae Image:Boudinotiana puella.jpg, Pale orange underwing
'' Boudinotiana puella''
Geometridae: Archiearinae

Footnotes

References

* ''

Fauna Europaea Fauna Europaea is a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals. It serves as a standard taxonomic source for animal taxonomy within the Pan-European Species directories Infr ...

'' (FE) (2011)
''Catocala''
Version 2.4, January 27, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2012. * * Nelson, John M. & Loy, Peter W. (1983): The Underwing Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Oklahoma. ''Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science'' 63: 60–67
PDF fulltext
* Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004a)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
�
Blepharonia Hübner 1823
Version of November 5, 2004. Retrieved March 29, 2012. * Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul (2004b)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
�
''Catocala''
Version of November 5, 2004. Retrieved March 29, 2012. * * Stevens, Martin (2005): The role of eyespots as anti-predator mechanisms, principally demonstrated in the Lepidoptera. '' Biological Reviews'' 80(4): 573–588. * Woodhouse, S. C. (1910): ''English-Greek Dictionary – A Vocabulary of the Attic Language''. George Routledge & Sons Ltd., Broadway House, Ludgate Hill, E.C
Searchable JPEG fulltext

External links

* * Oehlke, Bill (January 1, 2013)

''Catocala''. Retrieved January 13, 2019. {{Taxonbar , from=Q2450100 Noctuoidea genera