Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Agrotis Members: 97 NC Records

Agrotis gladiaria Morrison, 1874 - Swordsman Dart

Agrotis gladiariaAgrotis gladiariaAgrotis gladiariaAgrotis gladiaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933515		 MONA Number:
10648.00		 Other Common Name:
Claybacked Cutworm
Comments: One of twenty-three species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010), seven of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is fuscous, crossed with pale-filled transverse lines. The claviform spot is large and black or with a heavy black outline, extending to at least the middle of the orbicular or farther (Forbes, 1954). A conspicuous pale streak runs along vein Cu1, from the cell to the postmedian, with the vein itself usefully black. The orbicular is narrowly elliptical or sometimes absent, with the area of the cell between the orbicular and reniform is not solidly black.
Wingspan: 2.9 - 3.8 cm
Adult Structural Features: Male antennae are broadly pectinate, which separates them from the similarly marked Feltia tricosa and F. subgothica
Genitalia and other structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Agrotis gladiariaAlamance 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 Hanover 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on a range of grasses and low plants, including many of agricultural importance. Lafontaine (2004) lists alfalfa, aster, barley, blackberry, bluegrass, bluestem, cabbage, clover, corn, goldenrod, oats, onion, sweet potato, tobacco, and tomato. The hosts utilized by this species in North Carolina have not been documented. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Agrotis gladiaria - Swordsman Dart

 57 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal and Nora Murdock on 2025-10-18
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-18
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-18
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-10-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-06
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-06
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-05
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-05
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-04
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-10-19
Orange Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-10-24
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2022-10-19
Durham Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2022-10-16
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-10-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-24
Wake Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-23
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-10-21
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2021-10-15
Orange Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-11-11
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-11-07
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-10-21
Orange Co.
Comment: Male		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2020-10-21
Orange Co.
Comment: Female
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2020-10-21
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-10-21
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2020-10-13
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis gladiaria
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-10-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: