Bug FAQCloaked Marvel
Chytonix palliatricula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Cloaked Marvel Moth
It lives across North America from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast, into the Great Plains, and further south into Mexico, Guatemala and Panama. Its larvae probably eat grasses in the Poaceae family and adults fly in late spring and summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan measures roughly 28 to 33 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are thought to feed on grasses (Poaceae).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in late spring and summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found from southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast, west to the Great Plains, and south into Mexico, Guatemala and Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, Vermont, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Alabama, Virginia.
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
More photos
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/Chytonix_palliatricula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.