Bug FAQOldwife Underwing
Catocala palaeogama · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Oldwife Underwing Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The old wife underwing has a wingspan of about 60 to 70 mm. Adults are on the wing from June through October, depending on location. There is probably one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Catocala palaeogama, called the old wife underwing, belongs to the moth family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 60 to 70 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs in North America from Ontario and Quebec down through Maine, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Carolina, and west to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on hickories (Carya species), black walnut, chestnut, and apple trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is probably one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults fly from June to October, varying with location.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, found in eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Some authors treat Catocala palaeogama as a synonym of Catocala neogama.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia.
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
Questions people ask
What trees do the larvae eat?
The larvae feed on hickories, black walnut, chestnut, and apple trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult old wife underwings active?
Adults are on the wing from June through October, depending on where they live.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this moth have each year?
There is probably one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
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_palaeogama
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.