False underwing
The false underwing is a moth from the woods of eastern North America. It is the only kind in its whole group, so it has no close cousins at all. You can spot it flying on many months of the year, from early spring until autumn.
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Fun facts
It is the only species in its genus, so scientists call it monotypic, which means one of a kind.
Grown-up moths can be seen flying from March all the way to September.
Its open wings measure about 3 to 4 and a half centimetres from tip to tip.
Both the moth and its group were first described by the same scientist, Jacob Hübner, about 200 years ago.
Most asked questions about False underwing
?Where does the false underwing live?
In eastern North America, where its caterpillars can find leafy trees to eat.
?What does the false underwing caterpillar eat?
Leaves of trees like black gum, hickory and walnut.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Allotria elonympha
- Named by
- Hübner, 1818
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- False underwing moth
Where the facts come from
- Allotria (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by NCBioTeacher. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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