Dark-winged Festive Midget
Elaphria cornutinus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The Dark-winged Festive Midget has forewings that measure about 9 to 12 mm in length. It lives in the southeastern United States, including states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, southeastern Michigan, Ohio, and Maryland. Adults can be seen flying from March through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 9 to 12 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It has been recorded in several southeastern U.S. states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, southeastern Michigan, Ohio, and Maryland.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from March to September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, specifically the southeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos




Questions people ask
When are Dark-winged Festive Midget moths active?
Adults are active from March through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Dark-winged Festive Midget moths?
They have been recorded in southeastern U.S. states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, southeastern Michigan, Ohio, and Maryland.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
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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/Elaphria_cornutinus
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.