Epione Underwing
Catocala epione
August 9, 2003
Betsy called me out to the outside to see an "interesting underwing moth". And there it was, sitting on the deck with its wings held open. The bright white edging on the hind wings are diagnostic for this species.
In reading T. Sargent's "Legion of Night, The Underwing Moths", I learned that Epiones fly to the ground when threatened. I found it on the ground last time I saw it, too.
Apparently the epione was the first North American species with a published description. It was
named by Dru Drury in 1773. I came across a great website that gives some background on the
names of the Catocala. According to Pauncho Billo (Bill Oehlke), "Drury only named one North American Catocala species, and there was nothing unusual or trend setting in his choice, although he did chose the name of a famous wife. In typical fashion, Drury chose a Greek name for the [moth].
Epione was the wife of the famous healer Aesclepius (who was killed for bringing people back
to life). She was a healer too, but no one ever remembers that. She was the mother of Hygeia,
Goddess of Healing, as well as Acecis, Aegle, Iaso, Janiscus, Machaon, Panacea and Podalirius."
