Purple Arches Moth

Polia purpurissata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Purple Arches

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Purple Arches Moth
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The Purple Arches Moth lives in North America. Its native range is also North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It occurs across North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is native to North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Massachusetts.

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

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Purple Arches Moth photo 2
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Purple Arches Moth photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Purple Arches Moth photo 4
Photo: Rose Zappa, CC BY
Purple Arches Moth photo 5
Photo: Chelsea Carroll, CC BY

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/Polia_purpurissata

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.