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Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: Moth ID please, 1 by wallaby1

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In reply to: CLOSED: Moth ID please

Forum: Insect and Spider Identification

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wallaby1 wrote:
Noctua pronuba has paler colour down the leading edge, tha seems to be comstant although on paler moths it's difficult to tell! Another mark N. pronuba has is a black, almost triangular mark near the bottom edges, where N. comes can have a darkish patch all the way across.

N. comes is a bit smaller in general, I haven't seen a fully orange coloured underwing on it like N. pronuba has. There usually looks to be some 'looping' pattern about 1/3 way down the wings but is often only just visible. N. comes also looks in most cases to have a white ede to the lower, kidney shape and shape above where this isn't usual with N. pronuba.

The pic on the ukmoth site isn't good, but there is a pic of a caterpillar of N. comes.

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=116

Better pics here of N. comes,

N. pronuba

This site has one showing the underwing, which is orange but what else has that band, lol.

http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/NoctuComes.htm

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2699

Talking of bands, I see yours also has dark patches at the top of the under wing, which the Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthe has, and I have that too! Another which can be confused with N. janthe is Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthina, that is a debatable one here but I feel sure I hae that too! I don't think you have those, but does N. comes have dark patches at the top of the underwing?? Very few pics show more of the underwing! YES IT DOES! Pics of full wing spread on the following site! I guess we can assume the wing colour has worn?

Some caterpillar pics of different stages of N. comes here:

http://ukleps.org/ScientificNamesAlphabetical.html

I have a caterpillar pic which looks close to one of those stages, but I think it fits N. janthe better and I also had the moth! But I could be wrong, lol, I have both.

Here's my caterpillar pic, taken on 31st August feeding on Gladiolus, the usual larval stage is August to June.