Luciana Underwing
Catocala luciana Strecker, 1874
Family: Erebidae
Status: Resident
Range: Found in the Great Lakes region (Michigan) west to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana north into southern Canada.
Larval Hostplant(s): Poplar (Populus) and Willow (Salix).
NENHP Ranking: Not listed
Broods/Flight Times: A single summer brood, July to September.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands and prairies with/near host plants.
Avg. Wingspan: Medium sized Underwing, 2 1/4 – 2 3/4 Inches.
Found at: Gilbert-Baker WMA, Wildcat Hills SRA.
Overwintering: As eggs on tree bark.
Identification: FW pale with very distinct doubled am and pm (forming two teeth) lines. The basal and median areas are “grainy” gray. The reniform spot is boldly outlined in black. The HW ground color is salmon and the inner black band does not reach the inner margin. The fringe is checkered and sometimes paler than the inner ground color. (5)
Similar Species: Meske’s Underwing (C. meskei) FW is larger, darker and the HW ground color is a darker red-orange. (5)
Notes: Identification features illustrated.
Literature Cited: (5) Bill Oehlke’s North American Underwings
🔗Links: Moth Photographers Group, BugGuide.net
