Bug FAQSmall Dark Yellow Underwing
Coranarta luteola · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The small dark yellow underwing has forewings about 11 to 12 mm long. Its larvae feed on laurels such as Kalmia microphylla and Kalmia polifolia, while adults visit flowers, especially Andromeda polifolia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Coranarta luteola is a moth in the Noctuidae family, first described in 1865 by Grote and Robinson.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 11 to 12 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flowers and are especially attracted to Andromeda polifolia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range spans the boreal region from Alaska eastward to Labrador.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Maine, Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, Connecticut, Montana.
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
What do the caterpillars of the small dark yellow underwing eat?
The caterpillars feed on laurels such as Kalmia microphylla and Kalmia polifolia.
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/Coranarta_luteola
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.