Spotted Phosphila Moth

Phosphila miselioides · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Spotted Phosphila

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Spotted Phosphila Moth
Photo: laurawies, CC BY

The spotted phosphila is a cutworm or dart moth in the Noctuidae family. It was first described in 1852 and occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

The species is found across North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It lives in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Virginia.

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

Spotted Phosphila Moth photo 3
Photo: Alex Abair, CC BY
Spotted Phosphila Moth photo 4
Photo: Alexis Smith, CC BY
Spotted Phosphila Moth photo 5
Photo: Joshua, CC BY
Spotted Phosphila Moth photo 6
Photo: Rosario Douglas, 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/Phosphila_miselioides

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.