Sensitive Fern Borer Moth

Papaipema inquaesita · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Sensitive Fern Borer

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Sensitive Fern Borer Moth
Photo: mks334, CC BY

The sensitive fern borer is a cutworm or dart moth in the Noctuidae family. It lives in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Papaipema inquaesita belongs to the cutworm/dart moth group of Noctuidae.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

This moth is found across North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Sensitive Fern Borer Moth photo 3
Photo: unknown, CC0
Sensitive Fern Borer Moth photo 4
Photo: E.A. Noble, CC BY
Sensitive Fern Borer Moth photo 5
Photo: unknown, CC0
Sensitive Fern Borer Moth photo 6
Photo: Teá Montagna, 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/Papaipema_inquaesita

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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.