Xestia normaniana, or Norman's dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1874. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia across southern and central Canada to Alberta. In the eastern United States it ranges from Maine to eastern Minnesota, and south along the Appalachians to western North Carolina. It has recently been recorded from Tennessee.

Xestia normaniana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Xestia
Species:
X. normaniana
Binomial name
Xestia normaniana
Synonyms
  • Xestia normanianus (lapsus)
  • Xestia obtusa (Speyer, 1875)
  • Xestia triangulum var. A (Guenée, 1852)

The wingspan is 35–41 mm. Adults are on wing from July to October. There is one generation per year.

The larvae mainly feed on shrubs, including Vaccinium, Prunus avium, Rubus, Spiraea and Myrica.

References

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  • Wagner, David L.; Schweitzer, Dale F.; Sullivan, J. Bolling & Reardon, Richard C. (2011). Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691150420.
  • McLeod, Robin (October 19, 2016). "Species Xestia normanianus - Norman's Dart - Hodges#10943". BugGuide. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  • Pogue, Michael G. (2006). "The Noctuinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S.A." Zootaxa. 1215: 1-95. ISBN 978-1-86977-001-3.
  • "933573.00 – 10943 – Xestia normanianus – Norman's Dart Moth – (Grote, 1874)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  • Anweiler, G. G. (2007). "Species Details Xestia normanianus". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 14, 2020.