Moths of North Carolina
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101 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)
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 malefida
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 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

47 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-04-29
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-25
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-04
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-11-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2024-10-31
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-10-04
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-26
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-07
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-05
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2024-04-16
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-04-10
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-03-11
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-02-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-02-07
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-22
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-22
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-21
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-21
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-11-20
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-03-18
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-02-22
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-02-20
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-01-18
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-11-13
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-08-04
Carteret Co.
Comment: