Bug FAQProtorthodes melanopis
Protorthodes melanopis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Protorthodes melanopis is a small moth with forewings 11 to 14 mm long and pale grey-brown wings marked by distinct reniform and orbicular spots. Males have white, translucent hindwings with faint dark shading, while females show a darker, fuscous-sheened hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are pale grey-brown, highlighting the contrast of the reniform and orbicular spots. Males have white, translucent hindwings with some dark shading on veins and margins; females have a fuscous sheen on the hindwings, darker on veins and margins.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 11 to 14 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Its range extends north to southern Utah and south into northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight periods are late February to early May and mid-August to late September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its distribution also reaches southern Utah in the north and northern Mexico in the south.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, New Mexico, California, Pennsylvania, Texas.
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
What do the wings of male and female Protorthodes melanopis look like?
Males have white, translucent hindwings with faint dark shading, while females have hindwings with a fuscous sheen that is darker on the veins and margins.
Source: Wikipedia
How large is Protorthodes melanopis?
The forewings measure between 11 and 14 mm in length.
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/Protorthodes_melanopis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.