Bug FAQKnee-joint Dart
Feltia geniculata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Knee-joint Dart Moth
The knee-joint dart is a moth in the Noctuidae family. Its wingspan measures about 29 to 34 mm. Adults fly from July through mid-September in parts of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Feltia geniculata, called the knee-joint dart, belongs to the moth family Noctuidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 29 to 34 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat a wide variety of plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths are on the wing from July to mid-September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are active during the summer months, roughly July through mid-September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes eastern Canada and adjacent parts of the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania.
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
When can I expect to see adult knee-joint darts?
Adults are flying from July until about mid-September.
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/Feltia_geniculata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.