Cotton Aphid vs White Underwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cotton Aphid White Underwing
Scientific Name Aphis gossypii Catocala relicta
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Aphididae Erebidae
Size 1-1.8 mm 70-85 mm wingspan
Habitat Orchards Woodlands
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Worldwide Northern United States and southern Canada
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Cotton Aphid

A small yellowish-green to dark green aphid that attacks cotton, cucurbits, and citrus worldwide. It transmits numerous plant viruses and produces copious honeydew.

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Did You Know?

Its body color varies from yellow to nearly black depending on temperature, crowding, and host plant quality.

White Underwing

A striking underwing moth with white and black banded forewings that mimics birch bark. Its hindwings are black with broad white bands.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the only underwing moths with white rather than colored hindwings, matching the white bark of its birch tree hosts.