Bug FAQDusky Apamea Moth
Apamea plutonia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Dusky Apamea
The dusky apamea moth has forewings about 16-17 mm long and very dark brown, almost black, coloration. The cutworm larvae feed on grasses.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Wings are very dark brown, nearly black.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 16 to 17 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The cutworm larva feeds on grasses.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs across the boreal regions of northern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Noctuidae)
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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/Apamea_plutonia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.