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All photos on this site are the property of John Himmelman. Unless stated otherwise, they have been taken in my yard in Killingworth, CT.

False Underwing

Allotria elonympha

June 24, 2009

This moth has long tried to pawn itself off as a real underwing (catocola), but no one's buying it.  It's missing that second band of black through the orange hind wing, a characteristic present in the catocala.

The species name of elonympha does follow the tradition of the romanticized naming of underwings.  A nymph is a bride or maiden.  Elo is an acronym for Electric Light Orchestra, a band popular in the '70s.  Together, it can be loosely translated to mean "Young female groupie of the Electric Light Orchestra" - a prophetic name as it was coined by Hubner back in 1818!

Science rocks!