72.081 BF2455 - Dark Crimson Underwing - Erebidae - Catocala sponsa

72.081 BF2455 – Erebidae – Erebinae – Catocala sponsa – Dark Crimson Underwing

Adult Macro: CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species –

– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

– Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant – Red-listed

Taxonomy: Macro >> . . >> Erebidae >> Erebinae

ID Difficulty: amber

– care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.

ID pointers: As the name suggests the hind-wing is a bright crimson that is crossed by a black thinnish wavy cross-band and a black border to the edge of the hind-wing. The upper forewings are dark and subtly marked with an intricate mottling of browns, greys and tawny spots and markings. There are, in each forewing, an obvious set of three whitish markings, which seem obvious. The shape of the black band on the hind-wing is characteristic. The wavy black stripe across the crimson hindwing is contorted into a deep W-shape. This is clearly shown in the first and second images.

Distribution: (First record: 10 August 2023 at Shirland ) – (Last record: 11 August 2023 at Shirland ) – A new species for Derbyshire. A single specimen trapped at Shirland overnight, on 10th August 2023. Another amazing record for the county, as it only occurs as a breeding species in the New Forest, and otherwise is only occasionally recorded as a rare migrant. Classed as a Red Data Book category RDB3.

Flight Period: August / September / – On the wing August – September.

Moth Activity: Nocturnal Crepuscular – is attracted to light and sugar

*** Last updated on 6 May 2025 by RP ***

✉️ Send Moth Page Feedback

Wingspan: 60-70mm
Forewing: 29-34mm

Last Recorded Year: 2023

First Recorded Year: 2023

Last Recorded By – Nikki Mahadevan

Last Recorded General Area – Shirland

IMAGES BELOW: Images kindly provided by Nikki Mahadevan © – Shirland – August 11th 2023.

Dark Crimson Underwing – Catocala sponsa – Nikki Mahadevan

Dark Crimson Underwing – Erebidae – Catocala sponsa

no images were found

Distribution Map for Catocala sponsa

derbyshiremoths.org © makes no guarantee of accuracy of data used in these maps and charts – they are presented to you with best endeavours and the data behind them updated periodically as time permits. Historic records are being discovered all the time. These will be assessed, so once they are all verified, they will be incorporated onto the map and charts.

Found 1 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 0 from Before 2020

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.

Monthly Records By Year: Catocala sponsa

Monthly Counts By Year: Catocala sponsa

Recordings By Year: Catocala sponsa

Catocala sponsa

Insufficient records/data for a trend analysis

Years Analysed: 2000 – 2024

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Catocala sponsa

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Catocala sponsa

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Catocala sponsa – 1 records available

Listed by Year - descending

Taxon	Site Name	Tetrad	Year	Date	Count	Stage
Catocala sponsa	Shirland - Hallfieldgate Lane	SK35Z	2023	10/08/2023	1	Adult