72.075 : 2455a : 8888
Erebidae : Erebinae

Oak Yellow Underwing

CATOCALA nymphagoga (Esper, 1787)
Picture
Kind permission - © Tim Norriss
Life Cycle Guide - Europe
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 39 - 46mm
Worldwide Distribution: Southern Europe - less (Belgium,Channel Isles,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,Germany,Ireland,Latvia,
Lithuania,Luxembourg,Norway,C ,N & NW Russia,Sweden,Netherlands & some Mediterranean Islands : N Africa : Asia Minor
UK Distribution: Rare Migrant
UK Conservation Status -
  • Vagrant/Accidental
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Phalaena
Type Species - Catocala
  • Phalaena
Type Locality -
  • Europe
Flight Period: Europe - June - September
Habitat: Oak Forest
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: The 45mm final instar larva is grey, speckled lighter and darker forming vague stripes with a black edged white dorsal projection on the eighth segment.There are pairs of reddish brown pinacula or warts along the subdorsal regions. Head is pale brown marked in black
Overwinters as: Ovum
Observations: This moth carries the same genus as the Red Underwing (Catocala) and the likeness is obvious, albeit the underwing with this moth is yellow.
The moth is a possible migrant species to the UK appearing about 5 times in southern England and Wales since 1982 although the conservation status would seem to indicate a vagrant/accidental introduction.
A resident of southern Europe down to north Africa and across to Asia minor it is one of several Catocala distinguished from the other by the 90º bend in the black central hindwing stripe.

Photo Gallery
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species CATOCALA:

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Type Locality:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuoidea
Erebidae
Erebinae
Catocalini
CATOCALA Schrank, 1802
Catocala nymphagoga (Esper, 1787)
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Phalaena nupta (Linnaeus, 1767)
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PHALAENA nymphagoga (Esper, 1787)
= Noctua nymphagoga Esper, 1787
= Phalaena uxor Hübner, [1788]
= Catocala tmolia Lederer, 1865
= Catocala vallantini Oberthür, 1894
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Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen  Th. IV, Bd. 1 (38) : Title Page : p.159, (33) :
 pl. 105 - f. 5
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Europe