Bug FAQObscure Underwing
Catocala obscura · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Obscure Underwing Moth
The obscure underwing is a moth in the family Erebidae with a wingspan of about 60 to 72 mm. It lives in parts of eastern Canada and the United States, from southern Quebec and Ontario down to North Carolina and west to Mississippi and the Great Lakes region. Adults fly from July through October depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Catocala obscura, called the obscure underwing, belongs to the moth family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 60 to 72 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on shagbark hickory, pecan, shellbark hickory, and black walnut.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from July to October, varying with location.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Connecticut, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin.
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_obscura
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.