Euxoa messoria

Euxoa messoria, the darksided cutworm or reaper dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is found from Newfoundland west to Yukon, south to Virginia and Missouri in the east and New Mexico, Arizona and California in the west.

Euxoa messoria
Adult (top) and larva (bottom)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Euxoa
Species:	E. messoria
Binomial name
Euxoa messoria (Harris, 1841)
Synonyms
List Agrotis messoria Harris, 1841 Agrotis spissa Guenée, 1852 Mamestra inextricata Walker, 1865 Mamestra indirecta Walker, 1865 Mamestra displiciens Walker, 1865 Mamestra expulsa Walker, 1865 Agrotis ordinata Walker, 1865 Agrotis reticens Walker, 1865 Agrotis cochranis Riley, 1867 Agrotis repentis Grote & Robinson, 1868 Agrotis friabilis Grote, 1875 Agrotis atrifera Grote, 1878 Carneades territorialis Smith, 1900 Carneades fulda Smith, 1900 Carneades pindar Smith, 1900 Agrotis septentrionalis inordita Barnes & Benjamin, 1926

The wingspan is 32–36 mm. The moth flies from July to September depending on the location. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on the leaves of apple, cultivated vegetables and flowers, as well as various other plants.

External links

• Images
• Anweiler, G. G. (December 17, 2003). "Species Details Euxoa messoria". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
• Bug Guide
• The Noctuinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S.A.