Moths of North Carolina
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77 NC Records

Agrotis malefida Guenée, 1852 - Rascal Dart Moth

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: NoctuinaeTribe: NoctuiniP3 Number: 933526.00 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 Photographs: 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)
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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
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 Allium, Brassica oleracea, Capsicum, Gossypium, Pisum sativum, Solanum (tomato and potato), Trifolium, and Zea mays.
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
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 Moth

Photos: 23

Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-03-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-02-22
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-02-20
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-01-18
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-04
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-05-05
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-05-04
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-03-19
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-12-17
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-03-24
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2021-03-12
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2020-11-11
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-02-10
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2020-01-18
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-12-25
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-09-19
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-09-14
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2016-08-04
Mecklenburg Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2012-11-06
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2010-10-11
Ashe Co.
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Recorded by: Newman, Randy on 2005-03-30
Carteret Co.
Comment: