Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« Home »
View PDFNoctuidae Members: Agrotis Members: 102 NC Records

Agrotis malefida Guenée, 1852 - Rascal Dart

Agrotis malefidaAgrotis malefida
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933526		 MONA Number:
10661.00
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: A typical Dart, with a strong blackish claviform spot (Forbes, 1954). This spot strongly contrasts with the light brown ground color of the lower portion of the wing and is not preceded by a basal dash, as found in Agrotis venerabilis and A. volubilis. The orbicular is somewhat irregular but with an elongated extension; both the orbicular and reniform are distinctly darker than the dark shade that extends along the costa to the reniform. A small dark wedge may follow the reniform, similar but smaller than the mark found in A. ipsilon. The collar is blackish in this species, contrasting with the pale tegulae and thoracic crest. The hindwings are pure white in the males, but shaded with fuscous along the veins and towards the outer margin in the females. A. venerabilis and A. volubilis are similar but have a basal dash and more elongated claviform spots. A. ipsilon always has a long dark wedge beyond the reniform.
Wingspan: 40-45 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male antennae are serrate (Forbes, 1954)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: While most of our records come from the southeastern coastal plain, we also have scattered records from the Piedmont and low mountains. Possibly absent from higher elevations in the mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Agrotis malefidaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are reported to feed on grasses and a variety of agricultural plants. Among the hosts listed by Pogue (2006) are clover, corn, cotton, onion, peas, and tomato. We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
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 malefida - Rascal Dart

 48 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-06-30
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-29
Pender Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-25
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-04
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-31
Pender Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-10-04
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-07
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-05
Pender Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-10
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-03-11
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-02-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-02-07
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-22
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-22
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-21
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-21
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-03-18
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-02-22
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-02-20
Wake Co.
Comment:
Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2023-01-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis malefidaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: