Catocala electa

• Subfamily: Erebinae, Catocalini
• Wingspan: 65-80 mm
• Flight period: Jul - Sep
• Spread: Uncommon
• Host plants: Salix sp., Populus sp.

Information

The Catocala electa also called Rosy Underwing is a moth of the Erebidae family, subfamily Erebinae, with a wingspan of 65-80 mm.
Visible in most of Europe, it is absent from Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, in Italy it is absent from Sardinia. *

The front wing of the Catocala electa is brown in color with streaks and serrated lines of brown / black and ocher shades. The hind wings are pale red, with the external margin of black color, as well as a band of the same color and parallel to the margin in the discal region, which ends in the anal area.

The Catocala electa frequents floodplain areas, coastal areas and other warm places rich in Salicaceae bushes and trees. The larvae feed between April and June or even July depending on the latitude. They are well camouflaged on branches and trunks thanks to their shape and color that are very reminiscent of young branches, the head is brown with two black or brown lateral stripes. The pupa is reddish almost totally covered with a whitish patina. **

Adults occur mainly between mid-July and September although the first specimens are visible as early as June. Endangered species in central Europe as riparian forests have significantly reduced.

The larvae feed on Salix sp. (willows) and Populus sp. (poplars).


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/