Moths of North Carolina
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636 NC Records

Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel, 1766) - Ipsilon Dart

Agrotis ipsilonAgrotis ipsilonAgrotis ipsilonAgrotis ipsilon
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933528		 MONA Number:
10663.00		 Other Common Names:
Dark Sword-grass, Greasy Cutworm, Black 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: Our largest Dart, with a small but noticeable blackish claviform spot and an elongated dark wedge following the reniform (Forbes, 1954). This claviform 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 rounded but with an elongated posterior 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 hindwings are dirty white but shaded with fuscous along the veins and towards the outer margin. A. venerabilis and A. volubilis are similar but have a basal dash and stronger claviform spots. A. ipsilon always has a dark wedge beyond the reniform that is longer and more pointed than in the other species.
Wingspan: 40 to greater than 50 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Adult Structural Features: Male antennae are pectinate (Forbes, 1954)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Agrotis ipsilon
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: This species occurs in agricultural fields, wastelands, lawns, fields, and grasslands (Wagner et al., 2011). Many of our records come from residential areas.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are general feeders on grasses and forbs, including many types of cultivated crops (Wagner et al., 2011). Among the hosts listed by Tietz (1972) are onion, asparagus, oats, beets, cabbage, turnip, peppers, morning-glory (Ipomoea), apple, tobacco, cherry, tomato, potato, clover, blueberry, grape, and corn. 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:

 Photo Gallery for Agrotis ipsilon - Ipsilon Dart

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

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-29
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-11-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-11-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2024-11-01
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-10-13
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-10-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-10-07
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-10-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, Larry Chen on 2024-09-23
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-09-18
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-17
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-02
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-08-30
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-08-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-27
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-26
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-03-29
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-03-27
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-01-01
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-12-10
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-12-09
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-12-02
Wilson Co.
Comment: