Bug FAQAcute-lined Flower Moth
Schinia acutilinea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Schinia acutilinea, the acute-lined flower moth, belongs to the Noctuidae family and has a wingspan of about 25 to 27 mm. It lives in dry western North America, from southern Canada through the western United States, and the adults fly in August; the caterpillars feed on sagebrush species such as Artemisia tridentata and A. nova. The species has been confused with Schinia accessa, and recent research shows several similar species may be grouped under this name.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Schinia acutilinea is a moth in the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures about 25 to 27 millimeters.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on sagebrush species such as Artemisia tridentata and Artemisia nova.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to western North America, from southern Canada through the western United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It has been treated as the same species as Schinia accessa, but recent work shows several similar species may be included under this name.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of this moth eat?
The larvae feed on sagebrush species, including Artemisia tridentata and Artemisia nova.
Source: Wikipedia
What other moths is this species confused with?
It has been synonymized with Schinia accessa, and recent research indicates several similar species may be grouped under this name.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schinia_acutilinea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.