Noctuidae. About 350 species, many of which live secretively. Split into three pages. Page1 Page 2 Page 3   Home Common Name   Latin Name   Food plant(s)   Description Square-spot Dart   Euxoa obelisca   Dandelion, plantain and various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown, pale grey dorsal line and incomplete subdorsal lines. Mostly found around cliffs and rocky coats of Britain and Ireland. White-line Dart   Euxoa trictici   Dandelion, plantain and various herbaceous plants   Dark greyish-brown, pale grey dorsal line, faint subdorsal lines. Most of Britain. Garden Dart   Euxoa nigricans   Dandelion, plantain and various herbaceous plants   Ochreous, pale grey dorsal line bordered with smudges of darker grey. Most of the British Isles. Coast Dart   Euxoa cursoria   Sea sandwort, sand couch and other herbaceous plants   Pale greyish-brown, dark-edged thing grey dorsal line. Suffolk coast northwards, widespread on the north and west coasts of Scotland and parts of Ireland. Light Feathered Rustic   Agrotis cinerea   Dandelion, plantain and various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown, pale dorsal line and large black spiracles. Locally widespread over southern parts of England, north to Derbyshire. Archer's Dart   Aggrotis vestigialis   Various herbaceous plants and grasses   Light brown with grey edged pale dorsal line and vague pale markings, prothoracic plate is dark brown with orange stripes. Coats of Britain and Ireland, also locally inland. Turnip Moth   Agrotis segetum   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown with darker dorsal line and mottling subdorsally. Pest of root crops over most of British Isles. Heart and Club   Agrotis clavis   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown, vague darker dorsal line. Much of British Isles. Heart and Dart   Agrotis exclamationis   Various herbaceous plants   Reddish-brown, fine dark-edged pale dorsal line and darker subdorsal lines, black spiracles. Most parts of British Isles. Crescent Dart   Agrotis trux   Various herbaceous plants   Grey with faint paler dorsal line and darker laterally. Coastal cliffs of southern and western England, Wales and Ireland; also in the Isle of Man and in Morayshire, Scotland. Dark Sword-grass   Agrotis ipsilon   Various herbaceous plants   Greenish-grey, indistinct dorsal line, series of four black pinacula on first two segments, underparts pale grey. Southern coastal counties. Shuttle-shaped Dart   Agrotis puta   Various herbaceous plants   Light brown, faint grey dorsal line, darker subdorsally, spiracles small and black. Most of southern England, common and abundant. Sand Dart   Agrotis ripae   Sea rocket, prickly saltwort; sliced carrots in captivity!   Pale ochreous with dark-edged pale dorsal line, black spiracles. Locally common on coastal sandhills in England and Wales. Great Dart   Agrotis crassa   Roots of low growing plants and grasses   Greyish-brown, indistinct pale-edged dorsal line, black spiracles. Immigrant. Purple Cloud   Actinotia polyodon   Flowers, seeds and leaves of St John's Wort   Reddish-brown with obscure yellowish dorsal line, oblique brown streaks subdorsally, spiracular line bold, lemon-yellow. Immigrant. The Flame   Axylia putris   Various herbaceous plants   Greenish-grey, segments 4, 5 and 11 swollen, series of small brown dorsal spots, and dark subdorsal marks. Moderately common over England, Wales and Ireland; local in southern Scotland. Portland Moth   Actebia praecox   Creeping willow, tree lupin and trefoils   Dark grey with pale triangular dorsal markings, orange subdorsally. Coastal sandhills in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Eversmann's Rustic   Actebia fennica   Willowherb   Brown with slender pale subdorsal line, blackish laterally, pale stripe spiracular regions. Scarce immigrant. Flame Shoulder   Ochropleura plectra   Various herbaceous plants   Pale brown or greenish-brown with dark-edged pale dorsal line. Widely distributed. Radford's Flame Shoulder   Ochlopeura leucogaster   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown, fine whitish lines. Scarce immigrant. Plain Clay   Eugnorisma depuncta   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown with pale thin line and broad pale yellow line below spiracles. Local woodland species in central and eastern Scotland, local and rare in Wales, northern and south-west England. Northern Rustic   Standfussiana lucernea   Various grasses and herbaceous plants   Brown with dark greyish-brown and pale pairs of markings on segments 4 to eleven. Coastal areas of northern and western Britain and Ireland; locally on the south coast at Folkestone Warren, Kent and Eastbourne, and from the Isle of Wight to Cornwall. Dotted Rustic   Rhyacia simulans   Unknown in the wild, accepting couch and other grasses in captivity   Light brown with paler dorsal line and dark brown dashes. Locally throughout Britain. Large Yellow Underwing   Noctua pronuba   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown or greenish-brown, oblong-shaped markings subdorsally. Often common. Lunar Yellow Underwing   Noctua orbona   Various herbaceous plants   Brown with white dorsal stripe and buff subdorsal lines above which are black oblong markings. Local and declining, found mainly in the Breck district of East Anglia, downland areas of Wiltshire, border counties of England and Scotland and the Findhorn sandhills of Morayshire. Lesser Yellow Underwing   Noctua comes   Various herbaceous plants   Greenish-grey or greyish-brown with pale thin dorsal line and black triangular marks subdorsally. Common and widespread. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing   Noctua fimbriata   Various herbaceous plants   Ochreous with pale bar across segment 11, white spiracles surrounded with black spots. Widespread and common. Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing   Noctua janthe   Various herbaceous plants   Brown with yellowish-white dorsal line and vague darker chevrons along the back. Widespread. Least Yellow Underwing   Noctua interjecta   Various herbaceous plants   Ochreous with dark-edged dorsal and subdorsal lines and brown spiracular line. Local and mainly distributed over southern parts of England, Wales and Ireland. Stout Dart   Spaelotis ravida   Unknown in the wild, low growing plants in captivity   Brown or brownish-grey with a series of yellowish markings subdorsally and pale spiracular line. Cyclic in abundance and distribution, East Anglia and midland counties of England being strongholds. Double Dart   Graphiphora augur   Various herbaceous plants in autumn and hawthorn, blackthorn, birch and sallow in spring   Reddish-brown with a series of small white tubercles subdorsally and dull yellow band on segment eleven. Most parts of British Isles. Rosy Marsh Moth   Eugraphe subrosea   Bog myrtle   Purplish-brown with white dorsal line, yellow subdorsal line bordered orange below and black above. Local species found only in acid boggy areas of west Wales. Cousin German   Paradiarsia sobrina   Bilberry, heather and birch   Reddish-brown with faint dorsal line in which there are a series of yellowish-white dots. Very local and restricted in distribution to highlands of Scotland. Autumnal Rustic   Paradiarsia glareosa   Various herbaceous plants   Light brown with pale dorsal line, vague subdorsal lines and broad straw-coloured subspiracular line. Widespread, but local, mainly on sandy soils and moorland. True Lover's Knot   Lycophotia porphyrea   Heather and bell heather   Reddish-brown with a series of bold white marks surrounded by dark brown dorsally, yellowish-white subdorsally. Often common on heaths and moorland. Pearly Underwing   Peridroma saucia   Various herbaceous plants   Various shades of brown with indistinct dorsal line which may be marked with yellowish spots, black marks subdorsally and grey clouding around the black spiracles. Regular immigrant. Ingrailed Clay   Diarsia mendica   Various herbaceous plants   Reddish-brown with vague pale dorsal line and black wedge-shaped markings subdorsally. Often common. Barred Chestnut   Diarsia dahlii   Various herbaceous plants   Various shades of brown with darker diamond-shaped markings dorsally. Found mainly in woodland on acid soils in the Midlands, northern England and Scotland, local and rare in the south except in parts of Surrey where it is locally common. Purple Clay   Diarsia brunnea   Various herbaceous plants   Reddish-brown with yellowish-white bar across segment 11, series of dark marks long thin dorsal line. Fairly common in woodland throughout. Small Square-spot   Diarsia rubi   Various herbaceous plants   Shades of brown with pale dark-bordered dorsal line, small black spiracles. Widely distributed in southern parts of England, Wales and Ireland. Fen Square-spot   Diarsia florida   Various herbaceous plants   Identical to above, speculation exists as to whether this is a true species, inhabiting fens and boggy ground of southern parts of Britain. Northern Dart   Xestia alpicola   Crowberry   Purplish-brown with pale dorsal line and series of black dashed along top edge of paler dorsal line (penultimate instar, final instar duller and wrinkled) Life-cycle of two years occurring mainly on the mountain tops of the Scottish Highlands. Setaceous Hebrew Character   Xestia c-nigrum   Various herbaceous plants   Greenish or greyish-brown with thin white dorsal line and series of wedge-shaped dark markings subdorsally. Widely distributed. Triple-spotted Clay   Xestia ditrapezium   Various herbaceous plants   Shades of brown with indistinct dorsal line and pale wedge-shaped markings subdorsally on last few abdominal rings. Widespread, but rather local over much of British Isles. Double Square-spot   Xestia triangulum   Various herbaceous plants   Ochreous to reddish-brown, darker anteriorly, pair of bold black wedge-shaped markings on segments ten and eleven. Fairly common over most of Britain. Ashworth's Rustic   Xestia ashworthii   Heather, foxglove, wild thyme and other plants   Dark greyish-black with series of jet-black rectangular markings subdorsally. Mountain regions of North Wales. Dotted Clay   Xestia baja   Various herbaceous plants   Light reddish-brown with thin paler dorsal line and series of V-shaped dusky marks dorsally. Fairly common. Square-spotted Clay   Xestia rhomboidea   Various herbaceous plants   Glossy light brown with thin white dorsal line in which are smaller dark marks between abdominal segments and darker wedge-shaped marks subdorsally. Larvae rarely found in the wild. Southern half of England inhabiting woodland. Neglected Rustic   Xestia castanea   Heather, bell heather and cross-leaved heath   Green, paler dorsal line and broad white spiracular stripe, or reddish-brown with pale brown spiracular stripe. Heath and moorland throughout the British Isles. Home             Six-striped Rustic   Xestia sexstrigata   Various herbaceous plants   Brown with dark-edged pale dorsal line and pale subdorsal lines edged above with a series of narrow black marks. Fairly common. Square-spot Rustic   Xestia xanthographa   Various herbaceous plants   Similar to above. Heath Rustic   Xestia agathina   Heather   Brown or green with yellowish-white dorsal and subdorsal lines and series of bold dark markings subdorsally. Heath and moorland throughout. The Gothic   Naenia typica   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish or reddish-brown, pale dorsal line, thin wavy black spiracular line beneath which the underparts are paler. Widespread, but not often found due to nocturnal activity. Great Brocade   Eurois occulata   Bog myrtle, birch and sallow   Dark purplish-brown, white spiracular line in which there are pinkish-orange mottlings. Central and western parts of Scotland. Green Arches   Anaplectiodes prasina   Various herbaceous plants especially primrose, bramble, dock and honeysuckle   Shades of brown with pale yellowish dorsal line and black-edged bar across eleventh ring. Widespread. Red Chestnut   Cerastis rubricosa   Various herbaceous plants   Reddish-brown with a series of large blackish marks along the back and yellow dashes subdorsally. Widely distributed. White-marked   Cerastis leucographa   Sallow, dock and chickweed in captivity   Green, yellowish-white dots and series of darker markings dorsally. Larvae not recorded in the wild, local species found mainly in south-east England and on the Chilterns. Beautiful Yellow Underwing   Anarta mytrilli   Heather and bell heather   Bright green marked all over with white dashes. Widely distributed on heaths and moorland. Small Dark Yellow Underwing   Anarta cordigera   Bearberry   Purplish-grey with bold yellowish-white dorsal and subspiracular lines. Valleys of the Scottish Highlands. Broad-bordered White Underwing   Anarta melanopa   Crowberry, cowberry, bearberry and bilberry   Light reddish-brown with dark bordered white dorsal line, series of blackish oblique marks subdorsally. Restricted to mountains in Argyll, Caithness, Galloway and Scottish Highlands. The Nutmeg   Disestra trifolii   Goosefoot, orache, dock and dandelion   Shades of green or brown with broad pale spiracular line tinged with pink. South-eastern England, local from the Midlands onwards. The Shears   Hada plebeja   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown with vague pale dorsal and subdorsal lines and a series of dark brown subdorsal markings. Widely distributed. Pale Shining Brown   Polia bombycyina   Various herbaceous plants   Greyish-brown, thin vague dorsal line edged with grey, diamond-shaped darker dorsal mottlings, spiracles orange bordered black. Declining, southern and eastern counties of England. Silvery Arches   Polia trimaculosa   Various herbaceous plants   Reddish-brown with thin pale dorsal line, bordered with darker brown and vague diamond-shaped markings. Locally common in woods in parts of southern England and moors in the highlands of Scotland. Grey Arches   Polia nebulosa   Various herbaceous plants   Shades of brown or grey, pale dorsal line within dark diamond-shaped blotches and dark marks laterally. Widely distributed. Feathered Ear   Pachetra sagittigera   Various grasses   Buff coloured, paler dorsal line, broader pale subdorsal line and rows of darker markings along the back and sides. Last recorded in 1963 on chalk downlands of southern England. White Colon   Sideridis albicon   Various low growing plants   Pale bluish-green with paler subspiracular line, white spiracles ringed with black. Most of Britain. Bordered Gothic   Heliophobus reticulata   Unrecorded in the wild, knotgrass in captivity   Pale brown with thin pale dorsal line and darker lines with mottlings on the back and sides. Widely distributed but very local over the southern half of England. Cabbage Moth   Mamestra brassicae   Various wild and cultivated plants   Shades of brown or green with dark-edged pale dorsal line, slightly humped segment 11, broad pale spiracular line. Most parts of the British Isles. Dot Moth   Melanchra persicariae   Various herbaceous plants   Shades of green or brown with darker prothoracic plate, oblique dorsal markings, white spiracles, hump on segment eleven. Much of England and Wales. Beautiful Brocade   Lacanobia contigua   Various trees and low growing plants   Brown or green, narrow dark-edged pale dorsal and subdorsal lines and a series of cross-shaped brown markings along the back. Widely distributed. Light Brocade   Lacanobia w-latinum   Various plants including broom, dock, knotgrass   Greyish, or reddish-brown, darker specklings, paler dorsal and spiracular lines. Most of southern England. Pale-shouldered Brocade   Lacanobia thalassina   Oak, sallow, birch and other trees   Reddish-brown with paler dorsal and subdorsal lines and a series of darker markings along the back. Widespread throughout most of the British Isles. Dog's Tooth   Lacanobia suasa   Low growing plants   Olive-green or brown, darker dorsal stripe, series of short dark oblique markings along the back. Damp places over much of England and Wales. Bright-line Brown-eye   Lacanobia oleracea   Various herbaceous plants   Green or light brown, darker dorsal and subdorsal lines heavily dusted with white spots, yellowish-white spiracular line. Often common. The Stranger   Lacanobia blenna   Sea-beet, prickly saltwort and other seashore plants   Dark olive-green or grey covered with minute black and white dots, broad white-edged yellowish-orange subspiracular line. Never recorded in the larval stage, three adults recorded in the Isle of Wight between 1857 and 1876. Glaucous Shears   Papestra biren   Bog myrtle, sallow, heather and bilberry   Brown with pale dorsal line, darker dorsal V-shaped markings. Widespread in Wales, northern England, Scotland and Ireland. Broom Moth   Ceramica pisi   Various herbaceous plants   Green or brown with broad white-edged yellow stripes subdorsally. Fairly common.