moth from south india
December 11, 2009
this moth flew into my drawing room one evening and I took some pictures with my mobile camera.my home is in ,Kerala,South India, and the pics were taken on 8 august 2009 about 8:30 pm . the season here was near the end of the monsoon rains
kiran
Cochin, Kerala, South india
Hi kiran,
Generally, moths with this appearance are called Underwing Moths, and many are in the genus Catocala. Underwings often have brightly colored underwings and drab upper wings that blend with tree bark. If the moth is startled and flies during the day, it is easy to spot, but when it comes to rest, it disappears in its surroundings, effectively eluding a predator. We cannot be certain if your moth is in the genus Catocala, but it is probably in the family Erebidae.
Correction by Karl
Hi Daniel:
This looks like another fruit-piercing moth (Noctuidae: Calpinae [sometimes included in subfamily Ophiderinae or Catocalinae]) in the genus Eudocima. Of the seven species found in India, only E. hypermnestra has this particular two-spotted pattern on the hindwing. The forewing matches well also but you have to brighten the image a little to see it. A nice photo of the similar E. materna was posted recently on WTB by Ram Kulkarni (from Pune, India). Regards.
Karl
Thanks so much for the correction Karl. We were rushing out of the house for physical therapy and a busy day at work, and the thought did cross our mind that this might be a Fruit Piercing Moth, but we surrendered to our first impression.