| Dark Crimson Underwing (Catocala sponsa (Linnaeus, 1767)) |
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Scientific name: Catocala sponsa (Linnaeus, 1767) Common name: Dark Crimson Underwing French name: Fiancée Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Erebidae Subfamily: Erebinae Wingspan: 58-74 mm Biotope: Large oak forests. Geographic area: All Europe (from northern Africa to eastern Siberia, but rare in many areas). Flight time: July to September Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Grey-brown with red spots from which black bristles protrude. Host plant: Oak (Quercus). |
Catocala comes from the Greek words "katö" which means "under" and "kalos" which means "beautiful". The fore wings' colour makes an almost perfect camouflage against a tree bark. They are a ashy grey colour with paler areas. They are crossed by three blackish and wavy lines bordered with yellow on the rear side. There is a black dotted line with a row of white spots near the fringe. The bright red colour of the hind wings, with a black stripe, is used to startle predators when the butterfly is frightened. They end with a rather wide black rear stripe bordered by a white and toothed fringe with a black lunula on each tooth. The median black stripe is w-shaped and runs from one extreme edge of the wing to the other. There are some similar species. The followings points can be used to try to tell them apart (I must have forgotten some species, I will add them when I get additional information). Let's first start with the fore wings. The French Red Underwing (Catocala elocata) and Catocala puerpera show a short-toothed straight post median line on the inner half side of the fore wing. The dark Crimson Underwing shows a very wavy post median line on the same part of the wing. The Light Crimson Underwing (Catocala promissa) distinguishes by a smaller size. The Red Underwing (Catocala nupta) is missing the white dots next to the fringe. Concerning the hind wings, the French Red Underwing (Catocala elocata) and Catocala puerpera differ form the Red Underwing by the black stripe at the rear of the wing which is interrupted near the anal angle. The Light Crimson Underwing (Catocala promissa) distinguishes from the Red Underwing by the less curved median black line on the hind wings which are also more pinkish. The median black line is wider on the Red Underwing (catocala nupta) and does not reach the inner edge of the wing. The Dark Crimson Underwing over winters as an egg. |
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A small walk in the garden, during the night, near the buddleia (butterfly tree), sometimes leads to surprises. On this July night, I found a "bride" (sponsa). |
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The flash assisted autofocus did well the job in the black night. |
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Disturbed during its meal, the "sponsa" flew away. |
André Bon October 2010