Montana Field Guide

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- Kingdom - Animals - Animalia
  - Phylum - Spiders, Insects, and Crustaceans - Arthropoda
    - Class - Insects - Insecta
      - Order - Butterflies / Moths - Lepidoptera
        
        Family - Owlet Moths / Miller Moths - Noctuidae
        
        Species - A Noctuid Moth - Mythimna unipuncta

A Noctuid Moth - Mythimna unipuncta

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Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: SNR

Agency Status
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General Description

The Mythimna unipuncta wingspan is 35 - 47 mm. The forewing is tan, and often tinged with orange and lightly speckled with black. The postmedian line is a series of small widely-spaced black dots. The discal spot is white. A black-shaded line slants inward from the apex. The hindwing is grayish-brown with a tan fringe (Powell and Opler, 2009).

The Mythimna unipuncta larvae has a pale brown head with green tinge and mottled with dark brown. The larvae body is smooth, almost hairless, variably yellowish-green to brown to dark gray, and with several dark stripes interspersed with pale lines along top and sides (Powell and Opler, 2009).

Phenology

Mythimna unipuncta adults fly from March to November in the south, and April to October in the north (Powell and Opler, 2009).

Range Comments

Mythimna unipuncta occurs throughout North America except in the arctic (Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut). It also occurs in many other areas of the world (Powell and Opler, 2009).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database

Number of Observations: 6

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Relative Density

Recency

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)

Habitat

Mythimna unipuncta prefers fields, gardens, meadows, and waste places (Powell and Opler, 2009).

Food Habits

Mythimna unipuncta larvae are generalist feeders on many species of plants including alfalfa, corn and other grains. They also feed on grasses, vegetables, many weeds and other wild plants, the leaves of fruit trees, and ornamentals (Powell and Opler, 2009).

References

Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication
- Powell, J.A. and P.A. Opler. 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 369 pp.
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Citation for data on this website:
A Noctuid Moth — Mythimna unipuncta. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on April 19, 2024, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IILEYJG010