Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Apamea Members: 19 NC Records

Apamea amputatrix (Fitch, 1857) - Yellow-headed Cutworm Moth

Apamea amputatrix
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932333		 MONA Number:
9348.00
Comments: A Holarctic genus of about 140 species, with 63 recorded in North America, mostly from boreal or montane habitats (Mikkola et al., 2009). Seventeen species occur in North Carolina with the majority of records coming from the mountains.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Apamea amputatrixAlamance 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: Our records come mainly from high elevations, where they are associated with high elevation forests, bald-like semi-natural grasslands, and alluvial habitats.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on a wide range of herbaceous plants, including both grasses and forbs; a number of crop species are used, including cabbage, lettuce, corn, currants, roses, spinach, and wheat (Mikkola et al., 2009). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S2S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Apamea amputatrix - Yellow-headed Cutworm Moth

Photos: 2
Apamea amputatrixRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2020-08-14
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Apamea amputatrixRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2019-07-30
Yancey Co.
Comment: