Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths

Papaipema rigida · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Rigid Sunflower Borer, Rigid Sunflower Borer Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Papaipema rigida is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It lives in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Papaipema rigida belongs to the cutworm or dart moth group in the Noctuidae family.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 21 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Ohio.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths photo 2
Photo: Teá Montagna, CC BY
Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths photo 4
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Joe-Pye Weed and Rigid Sunflower Borer Moths photo 5
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaipema_rigida

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.