Catocala is a generally Holarctic genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Franz von Paula Schrank 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, not as part of a species name – they are used to refer to Catocala only.
Of the more than 250 known species, slightly less than half are found in North America – mostly in the United States – while the rest occur in Eurasia. About one-fifth (almost 30) of these species are native to Europe. A few species occur in the northern Neotropics and Indomalaya.FE (2011), and see references in Savela (2012)
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.
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 markings, at a casual glance resemble the eyes of a predatory animal, such as a cat. 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 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 predators such as bats, these moths also possess (like many of their relatives) fairly well-developed hearing organs.Fullard & Napoleone (2001), Stevens (2005)
The caterpillars of most species feed on the leaves of woody plants, usually trees but sometimes shrubs. Typical food plants are Fagales of the families Betulaceae, Fagaceae and Juglandaceae – mainly hickory (Carya), oak (Quercus) and walnut tree (Juglans) species, as well as others such as alder (Alnus), beech (Fagus), birch (Betula) and chestnut (Castanea). The caterpillars of numerous Old World and some North American species feed on the Salicaceae Populus (poplars) and Salix (willows), which belong to the Malpighiales. Less common larval food plants of Catocala are for example elms (Ulmus) and various Rosaceae of the Rosales, Tilia (linden and basswood) of the Malvales, or some Fabaceae of the Fabales; as the preceding, these all belong to the Fabidae lineage of rosid eudicots. More unusually, underwing moth caterpillars have also been found to feed on such plants as maple (Acer) which belongs to a distant lineage of rosids, as well as on such plants as ash trees (Fraxinus) and blueberries (Vaccinium) which are asterids and quite unrelated to the other food plants by eudicot standards.Nelson & Loy (1983), and see references in Savela (2012)
The adults are predominantly nocturnal, flying from shortly after dusk 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, during which they are also regularly found on the wing for about 1–2 hours each day.Fullard & Napoleone (2001)
The genus name Catocala roughly means "beautiful hindwings". It is a combination of two Ancient Greek words, kato (κάτω, "the rear one" or "the lower one"), and kalos (καλός, "beautiful").Woodhouse (1910)
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.See references in Savela (2012)
There are several cryptic species complexes 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 and taxonomy 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 synonyms. These synonyms and other invalid names of Catocala are:Pitkin & Jenkins (2004b)
Andreusia Hampson, 1913 (unjustified emendation) Andrewsia Grote, 1882 Astiodes (lapsus) 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 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, 1809 Koraia Nye, 1975 Lamprosia Hübner, 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 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 Poujade, 1888 (including C. davidi) Catocala artobolevskiji Sheljuzhko, 1943 Catocala bella Butler, 1877 (including C. serenides) Catocala bokhaica (Kononenko, 1979) Catocala borthi Saldaitis, Ivinskis, Floriani & Babics, 2012 Catocala brandti Hacker & Kautt, 1999 Catocala butleri Leech, 1900 Catocala catei Weisert, 1998 Catocala chenyixini Ishizuka, 2011 Catocala columbina Leech, 1900 Catocala coniuncta (Esper, 1787) – Minsmere crimson underwing Catocala connexa Wileman, 1911 Catocala contemnenda Staudinger, 1891 Catocala conversa (Esper, 1787) Catocala danilovi Bang-Haas, 1927 Catocala dariana Sviridov, Speidel, Reshöft, 1996 Catocala davidi Oberthür, 1881 Catocala deducta Eversmann, 1843 Catocala dejeani Mell, 1936 (sometimes in C. kuangtungensis) Catocala desiderata Staudinger, 1888 Catocala detrita Warren, 1913 Catocala deuteronympha Staudinger, 1861 Catocala dilecta Hübner, (type of Astiotes) Catocala disjuncta (Geyer, 1828) Catocala dissimilis Bremer, 1861 (including C. nigricans) Catocala distorta Butler, 1889 Catocala diversa (Geyer, 1826) Catocala doerriesi Staudinger, 1888 Catocala dotatoides Poole, 1989 Catocala dula Bremer, 1861 Catocala duplicata Butler, 1885 Catocala editarevayae Kravchenko et al., 2008 Catocala electa (Vieweg, 1790) – rosy underwing Catocala ella Butler, 1877 Catocala ellamajor Ishizuka, 2010 Catocala elocata (Esper, 1787) – French red underwing Catocala eminens Staudinger, 1892 Catocala eutychea Treitschke, 1835 Catocala flavescens Hampson, 1894 Catocala florianii Saldaitis & Ivinskis, 2008 Catocala formosana Okano, 1958 Catocala fraxini (Linnaeus, 1758) – blue underwing, Clifden nonpareil (type of Hemigeometra) Catocala fredi Bytinsky-Salz & Brandt, 1937 Catocala fugitiva Warren, 1914 Catocala fulminea (Scopoli, 1763) (type of Ephesia) Catocala fuscinupta Hampson, 1913 Catocala gansan Ishizuka & M. Wang, 2013 Catocala giuditta Schawerda, 1934 Catocala haitzi Bang-Haas, 1936 Catocala hariti Ishizuka & Ohshima, 2002 Catocala helena Eversmann, 1856 Catocala hoenei Mell, 1936 Catocala hoferi Ishizuka & Ohshima, 2003 Catocala hymenaea (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) Catocala hymenoides Draeseke, 1927 Catocala hyperconnexa Sugi, 1965 Catocala inconstans Butler, 1889 Catocala infasciata Mell, 1936 Catocala intacta Leech, 1889 Catocala invasa Leech, 1900 Catocala jansseni A. E. Prout, 1924 Catocala jonasii Butler, 1877 Catocala jouga Ishizuka, 2003 Catocala juncta Staudinger, 1889 Catocala jyoka Ishizuka, 2006 Catocala kaki Ishizuka, 2003 Catocala kasenko Ishizuka, 2007 Catocala koreana Staudinger, 1892 Catocala kotschubeyi Sheljuzhko, 1927 Catocala kuangtungensis Mell, 1931 Catocala kusnezovi Püngeler, 1914 Catocala lara Bremer, 1861 Catocala largeteaui Oberthür, 1881 Catocala laura Speidel, Ivinskis & Saldaitis, 2008 Catocala leechi Hampson, 1913 Catocala lehmanni Speidel, Ivinskis & Saldaitis, 2008 Catocala lesbia Christoph, 1887 Catocala longipalpis Mell, 1936 Catocala lupina Herrich-Schäffer, 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
Nearctic species
Catocala abbreviatella Catocala agrippina – Agrippina underwing Catocala aholibah – Aholibah underwing