Moths of North Carolina
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Xestia Members:
263 NC Records

Xestia dolosa Franclemont, 1980 - Greater Black-letter Dart

Xestia dolosaXestia dolosa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933589		 MONA Number:
10942.10		 Other Common Names:
Greater Spotted Cutworm, Woodland Spotted Cutworm
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Forewing Length: 18 to 24 mm (Lafontaine, 1998)
Adult Structural Features: Distinguished from X. c-nigrum by forewing length (Lafontaine, 1998)
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.
Xestia dolosa
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: Fields, barrens, woodlands, forests, and other closed and open habitats (Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, records come primarily from mesic forests in the Mountains and from a wider set of barrens and forests in the eastern part of the state.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of forbs, grasses, and low-growing woody plants (Wagner et al., 2011); records also exist from apple (Malus), currant (Ribes), and pear (Pyrus). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Mixed Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Xestia dolosa - Greater Black-letter Dart

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

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Forewing length 18-19 mm.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 21 mm.
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 20 mm.
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-25
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-26
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm.
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-19
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 20 mm.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm.		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-31
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Ed Corey on 2023-06-17
Avery Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-21
Orange Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-08
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2020-06-02
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: JIm Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-10-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-07-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2019-07-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2016-09-29
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2014-09-25
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf on 2014-08-26
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2013-08-21
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2013-08-21
Warren Co.
Comment: