pink underwing

(Catocala concumbens)

pink underwing
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  Hodges #

8833

 
 
Conservation Status
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

SNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
 
Description
 
 

Pink underwing is a medium to large sized, strikingly colored, underwing moth. Adults are 1¼ to 1½ in length and have a wingspan of 2 to 3.

The forewings are light gray and brownish gray with thin, black, jagged, antemedial and postmedial lines. The kidney-shaped (reniform) spot is slightly paler than the surrounding background color. The hindwings are pink with a black median band, a black terminal band, and a wide, straight, uninterrupted, white fringe.

The antennae are slender and thread-like.

There is a prominent tympanal hearing organ on each side of the thorax.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Wingspan: 2 to 3

Total length: 1¼ to 1½

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Darling underwing (Catocala cara) forewings are darker grayish-brown and violet-brown. The fringe on the hindwing is undulating or checkered.

Once-married underwing (Catocala unijuga) forewing reniform spot is dark and there is a whitish spot in front of it. The subterminal jagged line has a broad, whitish outline in front. The fringe on the hindwing is undulating.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Shrubby riverbanks, woodland edges, urban plantings.

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

One generation. August to early September.

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

Larvae are solitary feeders.

Adults are active at night. They are attracted to light. When at rest the wings are folded roof-like over the body. When approached or disturbed they spread their forewings revealing the startling color of the hindwings, possibly to scare off or give it time to escape a predator.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

Eggs overwinter.

 
     
 

Larva Hosts

 
 

Leaves of poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.).

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

21, 24, 27, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82.

 
  9/11/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)  
 

Superfamily

Noctuoidea (owlet moths and allies)  
 

Family

Erebidae (underwing, tiger, tussock, and allied moths)  
 

Subfamily

Erebinae (underwings, zales, and related owlets)  
 

Tribe

Catocalini  
 

Genus

Catocala (underwing moths)  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

pink underwing

sleepy underwing moth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Reniform spot

A kidney-shaped spot or outline in the lower median area near the PM line on the forewing of many moths.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Hannah and Grace Gold

 
    pink underwing      
 

Nan Throlson

 
    pink underwing      
 

Bill Reynolds

 
  Pink Underwing (Catocala concumbens) on a 1/4 hardware cloth screen.   pink underwing  
           
    pink underwing   pink underwing  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

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slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Pink Underwing Moth (Noctuidae: Catocala concumbens) in Grass
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Sep 13, 2011

Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (13 September 2011). Thank you to Marcel Such (@Bugguide.net) for confirming the identity of this specimen!

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Edward Peck
8/22/2023

Location: Springfield, VT

 
  Celeste
10/2/2022

Location: Duluth, MN

Found on some raked crabapple piles and up in the Dolga Crabapple tree. 

 
  Prudy Reberg
9/11/2022

Location: Rice Minnesota

2:30 pm sitting on our porch a gigantic gray moth landed near us, I approached to get a photo of it and that’s when it flew around us and landed on the ceiling fan, we saw the beautiful underwing colors. Then it flew away before we could capture a photo.

 
  Barbara
8/16/2020

Location: Shoreview, MN

The underwing I saw had orange in place of the pink markings.

The underwing was on my coleus plant on the deck. The orange and black markings were a zig zag pattern. She opened her wings once and I was thrilled to see the colorful  markings. I found the name of this species by pure luck. The internet did not readily have photos of this moth and it’s markings.

 
  John Valo
8/17/2020

There are at least 27 similar underwing moths in eastern North America, 21 of which occur in Minnesota. About half of these have pink or red on the hindwing, half have orange or orangish-yellow. Your underwing was likely one of the latter.

 
  A K
7/30/2020

Location: Shoreview, MN

   
  anonymous
early to mid summer, 2019

Location: Kerrick, MN

   
  Hannah and Grace Gold
9/14/2019

Location: south Minneapolis

pink underwing  
  Nan Throlson
8/12/2019

Location: St. Wendel, Stearns County

pink underwing  
  Bill Reynolds
9/29/2016

Location: Pennington Co., MN

Pink Underwing (Catocala concumbens) on a 1/4 hardware cloth screen.

pink underwing  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Created 10/1/2016

Last Updated:

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