Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Mythimna Members: 874 NC Records

Mythimna unipuncta (Haworth, 1809) - Armyworm Moth

Mythimna unipunctaMythimna unipunctaMythimna unipunctaMythimna unipuncta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Leucaniini		P3 Number:
932935		 MONA Number:
10438.00		 MONA Synonym:
Pseudaletia unipuncta		Other Common Names:
The White-speck, The One-Spot
Comments: A member of a very large worldwide genus. Four species occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), two of which have been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Pseudaletia unipuncta); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized Noctuid whose somewhat elongated forewings have a somewhat pointed apex marked with a oblique apical dash. The ground color is generally brown and dusted with fuscous (Forbes, 1954), but may reddish-brown in some specimens or particularly along the coast, may be a pale off-white. Transverse lines are absent except for a series of dark dots (obsolete in some specimens) that precede the apical dash. These dots curve towards the costa from the dash but run in a straight line from the dash to the inner margin. Both an orbicular and reniform spot may be present, filled with paler brown and often with a darker center. Both spots may be obsolete, however. More typically present is a white dot located on the median vein, similar to that of Leucania species. The vein may be blackish before and after this point. In Leucania species with similar markings and ground color, the apical dash is missing and the hindwings are pale whitish or pure white instead of the fuscous gray found in unipuncta.
Wingspan: 35-45 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: The thorax is unmarked but has a narrow crest, unlike species of Leucania.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species is found from the high mountains to the barrier islands, although in some areas it may occur primarily as a migrant or overwintering species
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Mythimna unipunctaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Wagner et al. (2011) list lawns, gardens, field, wet meadows, and other grassy habitats. This species is highly migratory, and adults can be found virtually anywhere.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed mainly on grasses but also consume forbs and woody plants; many crop species are attacked, including wheat, corn, oats, and rye (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: This is a major crop pest across much of the world and is in no need of conservation efforts.

 Photo Gallery for Mythimna unipuncta - Armyworm Moth

 294 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-19
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25
Wake Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-22
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-22
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-16
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-27
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-22
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-06-30
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: David George, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29
Moore Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-17
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2025-06-03
Currituck Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-29
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-03-23
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-02
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: David George on 2024-11-01
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-11-01
Pender Co.
Comment:
Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-29
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Mythimna unipuncta
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-22
Wayne Co.
Comment: