Bug FAQMottled Rustic
Caradrina morpheus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Mottled rustic moth
The Mottled Rustic moth has a wingspan of about 32 to 38 mm and forewings 13 to 16 mm long. Its forewings are dull dark brown with obscure double lines, a grey subterminal line, and distinct dark stigmata; the hindwings are a dull whitish colour.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are dull dark fuscous with a greyish tinge, obscure double inner and outer lines, a grey subterminal line with dark suffusion, and cloudy fuscous orbicular and reniform spots. The darker stigmata are clearly defined, the antemedian line is dentate, the postmedian line is poorly defined, and the subterminal line is pale with darker mottled suffusion; the termen shows dark lunules between veins. Hindwings are dull whitish with a small discal spot and faint grey markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 32 to 38 mm. Forewing length is between 13 and 16 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on various herbaceous plants such as nettle and dandelion.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults fly in a single generation from mid-May to August. Larvae are greyish-brown or dark brown with a paler dorsal line, dark irregular edges, blackish arrow-shaped subdorsal markings, a darker spiracular line, and a brown head with dark speckles.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The moth is on the wing from mid-May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the Palearctic region, including northern Europe, Siberia, Amur, Korea, Armenia and Turkestan.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Mottled Rustic moths eat?
The larvae feed on herbaceous plants such as nettle and dandelion.
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/Caradrina_morpheus
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.