Bug FAQRascal Dart
Agrotis malefida · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: pale-sided cutworm, palesided cutworm
Source: Wikipedia
Agrotis malefida, called the rascal dart, is a moth in the Noctuidae family with a wingspan of about 1.6 to 2.0 inches and forewings around 0.7 to 0.9 inches long. It lives across the southern United States from North Carolina to Arizona and Kansas, and its range also stretches through Mexico down to Argentina and Chile. The larvae feed on many broad-leaf plants and are considered pests on corn and cotton crops.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The rascal dart is a moth belonging to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 40 to 50 mm, and each forewing is about 18 to 23 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
The species is listed as a pest on corn and cotton crops.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found from the southeastern to the southwestern United States and further south through Central and South America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars eat a wide range of herbaceous plants, including cabbage, clover, beans, peppers, potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, and many weeds.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In northern areas they emerge in late winter; in southern areas they are active throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In the U.S. it occurs from North Carolina and Kentucky down to Florida, west to Arizona, and up to southern Kansas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, South Carolina, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants does the rascal dart damage?
Its larvae feed on many garden and crop plants and are known to damage corn and cotton.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult rascal darts active?
In the north they show up in late January, while in southern regions they can be seen flying year-round.
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/Agrotis_malefida
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.