Bug FAQAseptis fumosa
Aseptis fumosa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Aseptis fumosa is a moth with a wingspan of about 32 to 38 mm and smoky dark forewings marked by faint spots and lines. It lives in many western North American habitats, from coastal chaparral to dry conifer forests and shrub steppe, and its larvae feed on several shrub species such as Purshia, Cercocarpus, Ceanothus and Adenostoma.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are a uniform smoky dark brown with brown-filled antemedial and postmedial lines that appear as dots on the costa. It has a weak figure-eight shaped reniform spot, an orbicular spot and a short claviform spot that are black and blend with the ground colour. Male hindwings are pearly gray beyond the spot, highlighting vein asymmetry, while female hindwings are smoky dark with less conspicuous veins.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from about 31.5 to 38 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs in diverse habitats such as coastal chaparral, dry conifer forest and shrub steppe.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Purshia (including P. tridentata), Cercocarpus, Ceanothus (including C. integerrimus) and Adenostoma fasciculatum.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from April or May through July.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults spans April or May to July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Texas, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
When are adult Aseptis fumosa moths active?
Adults fly from April or May until July.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae of Aseptis fumosa eat?
The caterpillars feed on shrubs such as Purshia, Cercocarpus, Ceanothus and Adenostoma fasciculatum.
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/Aseptis_fumosa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.