Currently viewing the category: "Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Walnut Underwing pays annual visit to WTB?

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Walnut Underwing Perch
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, California
Date: 08/16/2019
Time: 11:03 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Dearest Bugman,
It was lovely spending time with you during the almost full moon. Please enjoy this shot of you with a Walnut Underwing on your shoulder.
How you want your letter signed:  Melanie on the Irish Chain

The Bugman with a Walnut Underwing

Dear Melanie,
We are so happy you were able to get a cellular telephone image of Daniel as he removed the Walnut Underwing back to the outdoors after it entered the house Monday night.  After several minutes of eluding capture, luckily the moth alighted on Daniel’s shirt, and it could easily be walked outside.

Walnut Underwing

Related posts:

Walnut Underwing Moth in Los Angeles Walnut Underwing makes seasonal appearance in Mount Washington Walnut Underwing Walnut Underwing
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Underwing, we believe

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths · Add Comment

Subject:  Moth
Geographic location of the bug:  Northern Indiana
Date: 08/14/2018
Time: 05:43 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This guy has been on our garage door all day.  I can’t seem to find him online or in our books.
How you want your letter signed:  Bobbi

Underwing, we believe

Dear Bobbi,
We believe this is an Underwing Moth in the genus Catocala, so named because they often have brightly colored underwings that are hidden when the moth is at rest, but when it flies, it flashes a color that causes a predator to search for a more brightly colored prey, but when the Underwing lands on a tree, it perfectly blends in with the bark.

Dear Mr. Marlos,
Thank you for your help! I wish I could have seen him fly away last night. I would have loved to see his colors.
If he would have been on a tree, there’s no way we could have seen him.
Thank you again. What a great site you have!!

Related posts:

Underwing Moth, possibly The Sweetheart Walnut Underwing makes seasonal appearance in Mount Washington Mount Washington Walnut Underwing sighting Fruit Piercing Moth from Maldives
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Large Yellow Underwing

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Unidentified moth
Geographic location of the bug:  Vancouver Island, BC
Date: 07/30/2018
Time: 04:15 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello! Here is a picture of a moth that I found on my door a couple weeks ago. I recently became a  moth enthusiast so I have difficulty IDing some of them, despite long internet searches and owning multiple moth books. What is this particular moth?
How you want your letter signed:  Rachel

Large Yellow Underwing

Dear Rachel,
This looks to us like a Large Yellow Underwing, Noctua pronuba, which is pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “hindwing yellow with black terminal band; forewing varies from light to dark brown to orangish to grayish, and from almost unmarked to boldly patterned; reniform spot large and either dark or barely visible; small dark patch along costa near apex nearly always present” and “Introduced from Europe to Nova Scotia in 1979, this species has since spread north to the Arctic Ocean, west to the Pacific, and south to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Related posts:

Greater Yellow Underwing Japanese Beetles: Bumper Crop Year Millipedes falling into swimming pool Bug of the Month March 2017: Diaprepes Root Weevil
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Underwing Moth, but which species???

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Catacola Verrilliana
Location:  Louisa, Va
Date: 09/03/2017
Time: 12:31 PM EDT
We found two specimens of catacola verrilliana on our place in Louisa, Va. It seems that it’s an invasive species mainly found in the western part of the US. We have raised butterflies but have no experience with moths. One of the specimens is alive, so we were wondering what to feed it. Any help or info would be helpful. Thanks, George Tyler
Your Name:  George Tyler

Underwing Moth

Dear George,
We are curious what caused you to identify your Underwing Moth in the genus Catocala as Catocala verrilliana, a species we found pictured on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 101 species of the genus Catocala in America north of Mexico. Powell & Opler (2009) reported 110 species in all of North America.”  In our opinion, many species are very difficult to distinguish from one another, and we would speculate that you more likely encountered a species known to range in your area.  We browsed through all the species of Underwings posted to BugGuide, and we could not conclusively identify your individual.  You can try feeding your Underwing overly ripe fruit like plums or peaches.  If you break the skin, your Underwing will have an easier time feeding.

Thank you for your response.

Related posts:

Parasitoid Wasp and Cutworm Moth host Insects found in the Snow: Snow Scorpionflies and Fungus Gnat Cerambycid from Canada is Stenocorus schaumii Tiger Moth is Grammia ornata with unknown “cocoon”
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Underwing Moth we believe

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths · Add Comment

Subject: Largish Moff in Michigan
Location: SE Michigan
August 20, 2017 2:53 pm
Hello Doc,
I found a big moth on my van’s window frame today. That’s a good indicator of scale, right? I bet it was close to 1 5/8″ long. Do you know the Type?
Signature: -Eric B.

Underwing, we believe

Dear Eric,
We believe this is an Underwing Moth in the genus Catocala, and based on this BugGuide image, it sure looks like The Sweetheart, Catocala amatrix.  The bare spot on the thorax is a good indication that this is an older individual.  Underwings are so named because their upper wings blend in with tree bark when they are at rest, and if disturbed, they flash often brightly colored underwings, like in this BugGuide image.  Then when the moth comes to rest again and vanishes, it evades getting eaten because any sharp-eyed predator will be looking for much more brightly colored prey.  According to BugGuide:  “larvae feed on leaves of several species of poplar (Populus spp.) and Black Willow (Salix nigra).”

Related posts:

Underwing Moth False Underwing Underwing Moth Underwing Moth, we believe
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Underwing

On · Category: Underwing Moths and Fruit Piercing Moths · Add Comment

Subject: Underwing moth?
Location: Mayfield, KY
June 7, 2017 11:29 am
I have been trying to identify this moth for some time now. The closest match I have found in my book is a Widow Underwing. This was found in Western Kentucky in May.
Signature: Janet Fox

Underwing

Dear Janet,
We agree that this appears to be an Underwing in the genus Catocala, but we do not have the necessary skills to provide a definitive species identification for you.  According to BugGuide:  “Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 101 species of the genus Catocala in America north of Mexico. Powell & Opler (2009) reported 110 species in all of North America, and about 230 worldwide.”  Many of those species look quite similar.

Related posts:

Fruit Piercing Moth from India Walnut Underwing visits WTB? Office Walnut Underwing visits the offices of What’s That Bug? Walnut Underwing
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination