Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Agrotis Members: 668 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 ipsilonAlamance 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: 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

 244 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-09
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-11-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-11-07
Madison Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-29
Craven Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Tony McBride, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-10-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-24
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-23
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-22
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-21
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-10-19
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-18
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-08
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-10-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-02
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-09-30
Madison Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-18
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-06
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-04
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-01
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25
Rutherford Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25
Wake Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-24
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-23
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-08-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-07-31
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-08
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Agrotis ipsilon
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: