2021 August 11

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  The first moth seen outside the door of my apartment building in Saanich for some weeks is an exciting one – Catocala relicta.  After photographing it, I took it to Mount Douglas – a more suitable place than my apartment building.

 

Catocala relicta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Catocala relicta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   As if that were not enough excitement for one day, a White-lined Hawk Moth emerged from its pupa. The caterpillar and pupa can be seen on the Invert Alerts for July 12 and 23.  After photographing the moth, I released it in the Martindale Valley, where the caterpillar was found.

White-lined Hawk Moth Hyles lineata (Lep.: Sphingidae) Jeremy Tatum

 

White-lined Hawk Moth Hyles lineata (Lep.: Sphingidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  We have seen several  “underwing” moths on this site in recent days, both “yellow underwings”  (Noctua) and “red underwings”  (Catocala).  (C. relicta shown above is one of the very few Catocala species that doesn’t have any red on its hindwing).  This started me thinking, while I lay awake in bed last night, about the word “underwing”.  The word is well  established as the English name of these groups.  The two genera are not closely related.  Although they both used to be included in the Family Noctuidae, in modern classifications Catacala has been moved to the new Family Erebidae. 

  Other than when referring to the English names for these two groups, the word “underwing” is not a good word when describing moth anatomy.  A moth, or butterfly, has two pairs of wings – the forewings and the hindwings.   Each wing has an upperside and an underside.   If someone talks about the colour of the “underwing” of a moth, one cannot be certain whether that person is referring to the hindwings, or to the underside of the wings.   It is probably best to avoid the word “underwing” in that context.

  Then there are the words “dorsal”, “lateral” and “ventral”  – grand, scientific-sounding words derived from Latin dorsum (back), latus (side) and “venter” (belly).     These words are best used to describe the aspect of the body of an insect, and should not be used when describing a wing.   For example, this photograph:

Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae)     Jochen Möhr

is certainly not a ventral view of the butterfly.  It is a lateral view.  It shows the underside of the hindwing and part of the underside of the forewing.