Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Euxoa Members:	5 NC Records
Euxoa messoria (Harris, 1841) - Reaper Dart

No image for this species.

Taxonomy

Superfamily: Noctuoidea	Family: Noctuidae	Subfamily: Noctuinae	Tribe: Noctuini	P3 Number: 933319	MONA Number: 10705.00	Other Common Name: Darksided Cutworm
Comments: One of 181 species that occur in North America north of Mexico (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010). Most are Western but 13 have been recorded in North Carolina. Euxoa messoria belongs to subgenus Longivesica (Lafontaine, 1987), which contains three other species, none of which has been recorded in North Carolina.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Lafontaine (1987)

Adult Markings: Can be confused with E. inmixta and E. scholastica; distinguishable by genitalia (Lafontaine, 1987).

Forewing Length: 13 to 18 mm (Lafontaine, 1987)

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis.

Distribution in North Carolina


Distribution:
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 polyphagous, feeding on many species of agricultural importance. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list Garden Onion (Allium cepa), Turnip (Brassica rapa), strawberry (Fragaria), Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas), Garden Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), apple (Malus), Cultivated Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), Garden Pea (Pisum sativum), Peach (Prunus persica), Garden Radish (Raphanus sativus), currant (Ribes), Garden Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), clover (Trifolium), grape (Vitis), and Corn (Zea mays). - View

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S1S2]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Euxoa messoria (Harris, 1841) - Reaper Dart