Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Xestia Members: 269 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 dolosaAlamance 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%20Hanover 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: 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

 39 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25
Rutherford Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-10
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-21
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-05
Mitchell Co.
Comment: Forewing length 18-19 mm.
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-03
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 21 mm.		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-26
Orange Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 20 mm.		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-04-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-26
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm.		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-19
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 20 mm.
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm.
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: David George, Ed Corey on 2023-06-17
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-21
Orange Co.
Comment: Forewing length = 22 mm		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-08
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-10-15
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2020-06-02
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Xestia dolosa
Recorded by: JIm Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-10-02
Madison Co.
Comment: