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Species Dargida procinctus - Olive Green Cutworm - Hodges#10428

Dargida procincta - Dargida procinctus Big noctuid - Dargida procinctus What kind of moth? - Dargida procinctus Portland Bioblitz 2012 PDX53 - Dargida procinctus Sphinx Moth sp.? - Dargida procinctus Dargida procinctus Dargida procinctus Girdler Moth Dargida procinctus - Dargida procinctus
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
Subfamily Noctuinae (Cutworm or Dart Moths)
Tribe Hadenini
Genus Dargida
Species procinctus (Olive Green Cutworm - Hodges#10428)
Hodges Number
10428
Other Common Names
Girdler Moth
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Dargida procinctus (Grote(1), 1873)
Numbers
Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed eight species of the genus Dargida in America north of Mexico. (2)
Size
adult: wingspan about 40 mm
larva: 30-35 mm
Identification
Adult: forewing ground color dark brown, crossed by two pale prominent intersecting lines and several smaller/shorter pale lines
Larva: head reddish-brown; body varies from pale green to blackish olive green with alternating lateral stripes of black, white, and yellow; under-side of body brownish-green; spiracles white (Oregon State U.)

Caterpillar, pupa, and adult:
Range
Wisconsin and Manitoba to British Columbia, south to California and Arizona
Habitat
meadows
Season
larvae found until June or July
adults fly in August and September in the north; much earlier (spring) in the south
Food
larvae feed on grasses, particularly Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
Life Cycle
overwinters as partly-mature larva
Remarks
Does not occur in eastern North America.
See Also
markings on wings of adult are reminiscent of Feltia species in the tribe Agrotini, subfamily Noctuinae
Print References
Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. plate 55, fig. 41; p. 304. (3)
Internet References
live adult, larva, and egg images plus common name reference [Girdler Moth], host plant, and season (Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island)
live adult, larva, and egg images plus common name reference [Olive Green Cutworm], description, biology and other info (Oregon State U.)
adult images (Larry Line, California)