Abagrotis alternata
Encyclopedia
The Greater Red Dart or Mottled Gray Cutworm (Abagrotis alternata) is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in Eastern North America
, from New Brunswick
west across southern Canada
to western Alberta
, south to Arizona
, New Mexico
and the Gulf of Mexico
.
The wingspan
is 38–43 mm. Adults are on wing in August in Alberta. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants. In eastern North America they can become pests on vegetable crops and in some fruit trees, damaging buds and new growth. Recorded food plants include White spruce, Walnut, Hickories, Oak, Strawberry, Apple, Cherry, Plum, Peach, Potato and Tomato.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found in Eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
west across southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to western Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, south to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 38–43 mm. Adults are on wing in August in Alberta. There is one generation per year.
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants. In eastern North America they can become pests on vegetable crops and in some fruit trees, damaging buds and new growth. Recorded food plants include White spruce, Walnut, Hickories, Oak, Strawberry, Apple, Cherry, Plum, Peach, Potato and Tomato.