Bug FAQMourning Underwing
Catocala flebilis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Mournful Underwing
The mourning underwing is a moth in the family Erebidae with a wingspan of about 45 to 65 mm. It lives in eastern North America, from New England down to the Gulf states and west to the Midwest and southern Ontario. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of shagbark and shellbark hickory (Carya glabra and Carya ovata).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Catocala flebilis, known as the mourning underwing, belongs to the moth family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 45 to 65 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on shagbark hickory (Carya glabra) and shellbark hickory (Carya ovata).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from July through September, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers much of the eastern United States and parts of southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Connecticut, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catocala_flebilis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.