Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

See Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in Wisconsin, July 10-12


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Cutworm or Dart Moths (Noctuinae) » Noctuini » Noctuina » Abagrotis » Abagrotis variata - Hodges#11032 (Abagrotis variata)

Species Abagrotis variata - Hodges#11032

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
moth - Abagrotis variata Abagrotis variata Abagrotis variata Abagrotis variata Variable Dart Moth - Abagrotis variata Variable Dart Moth - Abagrotis variata Variably-colored Dart Moth - Abagrotis variata 933678 Abagrotis variata - Abagrotis variata
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 Noctuini
Subtribe Noctuina
Genus Abagrotis
Species variata (Abagrotis variata - Hodges#11032)
Hodges Number
11032
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Abagrotis variata (Grote(1), 1876)
Agrotis ariata Grote, 1876
Size
Forewing length 16-19 mm. (2)
Identification
Adult: forewing dark brown or reddish-brown with pale grayish terminal band; reniform and orbicular spots faint or obscure; AM and PM lines pale gray, irregular, usually diffuse or patchy; hindwing dark gray with blackish veins and pale yellowish or white fringe
Range
British Columbia to California(3), east to New Mexico and Alberta. (4)
Habitat
riparian habitats in western forests
Season
adults fly mostly in August and September, sometimes as early as June
Food
larvae feed on leaves of flowering trees and shrubs, particularly willow
See Also
Abagrotis pulchrata forewing has brighter and more prominent AM and PM lines, and more distinct reniform and orbicular spots (compare images of both species at CBIF)
Internet References
Pacific Northwest Moths (2)
Moth Photographers Group (5)
pinned adult image (CBIF)
pinned adult image specimen records, and flight season chart (Strickland Entomological Museum, U. of Alberta)
description of adult plus habitat, foodplants, similar species (Jeff Miller, Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands, USGS)
presence in California; list of 9 specimen records with dates and locations (U. of California at Berkeley)
presence in Utah; list (Joel Johnson, Utah Lepidopterists Society)
distribution in Canada list of provinces (U. of Alberta, using CBIF data)
Works Cited
1.Augustus Radcliffe Grote, Lepidopterist (1841-1903)
2.Pacific Northwest Moths
3.Essig Museum of Entomology, California Moth Species List
4.Survey of Utah Moth Species
5.North American Moth Photographers Group
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 13 August, 2007 - 7:18pm
Additional contributions by Maury Heiman
Last updated 9 December, 2013 - 9:09am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2023 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact