Euxoa tessellata

Euxoa tessellata, the tessellate dart or striped cutworm is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is the most widespread Euxoa-species in North America. It is found from Newfoundland to Alaska, south in the west to California, Arizona, New Mexico, south in the east to Florida. It seems to be absent from Texas and adjacent eastern states.

Euxoa tessellata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Euxoa
Species:	E. tessellata
Binomial name
Euxoa tessellata (Harris, 1841)
Synonyms
Agrotis tessellata Harris, 1841 Mamestra insulsa Walker, 1856 Agrotis insignata Walker, [1857] Agrotis perlentans Walker, [1857] Agrotis maizi (Fitch, 1864) Agrotis atropurpurea Grote, 1877 Agrotis tesselloides Grote, 1882 Agrotis finis Smith, 1888 Agrotis remota Smith, 1890 Carneades flaviscapula Smith, 1900 Carneades noctuiformis Smith, 1900 Carneades neotelis Smith, 1900 Carneades atrofusca Smith, 1900 Carneades objurgata Smith, 1900 Carneades cariosus Smith, 1900 Carneades nordica Smith, 1900 Carneades caesia Smith, 1900 Carneades acutifrons Smith, 1900 Carneades laminis Smith, 1900 Euxoa marinensis McDunnough, 1941 Euxoa caesia Smith, 1900 Euxoa cariosa Smith, 1900

The wingspan is 30–38 mm. Adults are on wing from June to September.

The larvae feed on tobacco, various garden crops, as well as the leaves of apple, cherry and pear.

The tessellata GROUP in North America consists of two species - E. tessellata and E. plagigera. The two species are dissimilar in appearance, but are related by genital features Lepidoptera genitalia. They will hybridize in the lab, but the result is a sterile offspring.[1]