Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1279750

Girlfriend Underwing
Catocala lineella

Observation date: July 17, 2020
Submitted by: Ilona L.
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: None.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: November 13, 2020
Coordinator notes: Catocala amica-lineella - Girlfriend & Little Lined Underwing - as listed on BG. *Update March 2016: The adults of both species, amica and lineella, are indistinguishable by photo (larva indistinguishable as well, Wagner 361). Traditionally, amica was distinguished by being lighter color overall, with less bold lines, and less blackish shading in the basal and median areas, while lineella was said to be darker overall with bolder lines and more black shading. However, as numerous specimens of both species have been sequenced and identified via DNA analysis, not only have those traditional characteristics been shown unreliable ( > 50% inaccuracy rate), but even the COI sequence data between some individual amica and lineella specimens have been so close as to be statistically identical.
Checklist region(s): Dane County, Wisconsin, United States