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Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta

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Hilary

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Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« on: July 08, 2013, 08:40:17 PM »
This moth is currently in residence in the bathroom.
Does any one know what it is ?
« Last Edit: July 11, 2013, 08:18:38 PM by Fleur Pavlidis »
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MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care
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Fleur Pavlidis

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Re: Moth with red wings
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2013, 04:56:43 PM »
 I was sure this was a Skipper but I can't find one with a red wing. A really good site for butterflies is www.eurobutterflies.com
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MGS member, Greece. I garden in Attica, Greece and Mt Goulinas (450m) Central Greece

Alice

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Re: Moth with red wings
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2013, 06:27:32 PM »
Possibly Catocala nupta (Red Underwing Moth).
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Amateur gardener who has gardened in north London and now gardens part of the year on the Cycladic island of Paros. Conditions: coastal, windy, annual rainfall 350mm, temp 0-35 degrees C.

Hilary

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2013, 09:52:24 AM »
Fleur and Alice,
Many thanks for the identification.
Meanwhile the moth left via the light well.
I hope it finds somewhere more to its liking than our bathroom
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MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care
*

MikeHardman

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2013, 09:20:35 AM »
Hilary,

Nice find/visitation.

It is one of several red underwing moths, specifically Catocala coniuncta.

http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Catocala_Coniuncta

Mike
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

Hilary

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2013, 03:51:42 PM »
Many thanks
That is fascinating.
I have no idea why it should have strayed  into our bathroom.
Have you any idea just what coniuncta means?
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MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care
*

Alisdair

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2013, 06:35:20 PM »
Difficult to see anything "joint" or conjoined about it - even in the illustration to the 1786 book in which Eugen Esper first named it coniuncta! See picture below, courtesy of the University of Heidelberg.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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MikeHardman

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2013, 08:32:46 AM »
Alisdair,
...Indeed (good researching).
However, maybe the following is of some help 9?)

I think the word coniuncta refers to being joined in the sense of "The Newlyweds."
Spuler, 1908. Die Schmetterlinge von Europas, Stuttgart, 1901-1910 (316R)
Quite how that is particular to this species, however, I don't know.
In the close relative Catocala sponsa, 'sponsa' means 'bride' - so there may be some folk lore in play, methinks.

Whatever the reasoning, I guess it may be the same as that behind Spuler naming Zygaena coniuncta.

See also here re mis-spelling of 'coniuncta' as 'conjuncta'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catocala_coniuncta

Whilst on the subject...
'Catocala' derives from the Greek kato (below) and kalos (beautiful), referring to the nice red underwings.
That's a lot easier to understand.

Mike
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England
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Alisdair

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Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2013, 09:02:35 AM »
Sounds right, Mike: in France they call this moth La Conjointe, or The Wife.
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Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society
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MikeHardman

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    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: Moth with red wings ID'd by Alice as Catocala nupta
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2013, 10:14:19 AM »
Ah, good - so we're wiser, but the question has shifted sideways rather than being answered.
Maybe wife/newlyweds will have to remain a mystery. No harm in that. In fact perhaps a bit of charm rather than harm.
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Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England
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