Abagrotis alternata (Grote)

Pogue, Michael G., 2006, The Noctuinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U. S. A., Zootaxa 1215 (1), pp. 1-95 : 35-36

2. Abagrotis alternata (Grote) Greater Red Dart (adult), Mottled Gray Cutworm (larva)

( Fig. 31, Map 20)

Identification: Forewing length 15.0–20.0 mm. Abagrotis alternata can easily be confused with A. anchocelioides (Guenée) . The best way to separate these species is by the coloration of the middle segment of the labial palpus compared to head coloration. In A. alternata the labial palp is dark reddish brown contrasting with the lighter cream to buff colored head. In A. anchocelioides the labial palp is reddish brown, concolorous with the head. Forewing ground color varies from brown to reddish brown with a lighter cream to tan contrasting terminal band. In darker brown specimens the contrasting terminal band is less evident. Orbicular spot is ovate, slightly darker than ground color, outlined in cream, and is angled at 45 o toward wing base. Hindwing is dark brown with a tan fringe.

Flight period: Collected from June to mid­October.

Collected localities: North Carolina: Haywood Co., Purchase Knob; Swain Co. , Big Cove Road site b, Big Cove Road site c, Big Cove Road site p, Big Cove Road site w, Noland Creek . Tennessee: Blount Co., Cades Cove near Ranger Station , Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church , Cold Spring Gap ; Cocke Co. , Cosby ATBI house, Foothills Parkway , Foothills Parkway 2 nd overlook East ; Sevier Co. , Greenbrier Ranger Station (40 specimens)

Elevation range: 1700–4924 ft. (518–1501 m)

General distribution: Widely distributed in North America across southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta; in the eastern United States from Maine to North Carolina and Tennessee west from Mississippi to Texas, in the Northern Great Plains from North and South Dakota, Montana, and northeastern Wyoming, and in the Rocky Mountains from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and central Arizona ( Lafontaine 1998) .

MAP 20. Collecting localities of Abagrotis alternata .

Larval hosts: This is a polyphagous species and feeds on a number of agriculturally important crops such as apple ( Malus sp. , Rosaceae ), cherry ( Prunus avium (L.) L., Rosaceae ), plum ( Prunus sp. , Rosaceae ), strawberry ( Fragaria sp. , Rosaceae ), hickory ( Carya sp. , Juglandaceae ), walnut ( Juglans sp. , Juglandaceae ), oak ( Quercus sp. , Fabaceae ), cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L., Brassicaceae ), tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L., Solanaceae ), and potato ( Solanum tuberosum L., Solanaceae ). Larval populations usually are not sufficient to inflict economic damage, but occasionally the species is a serious pest of fruit trees and vegetable crops ( Lafontaine 1998).