Moth Photographers Group – Anarta nigrolunata

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Noctuidae

932823 – 10327 Anarta nigrolunata Packard, 1867

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Distribution Data for Anarta nigrolunata

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Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Ericaceae. Host genera: Arctostaphylos Empetrum Vaccinium. Notes: specialist on dwarf species of Ericaceae (Crabo et al 2014). (Shropshire & Tallamy 2025 [accessed 6xii2025])
Similar Species:	Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	nigrolunata Packard, 1867 (Anarta) - MONA 1983: [NEW] laerta Smith, 1903 (Anarta) melanopa of authors; (not Thunberg, 1791) (Noctua) misappl.
Taxonomic Notes:	Anarta nigrolunata Packard, 1867: The name A. melanopa has been used historically for this species. However, the vast majority of Nearctic populations are a separate species. “True” A. melanopa is a Beringian species restricted (in NA) to AK. The 2023 checklist listed subspecies nigrolunata and laerta but that was an erroneous holdover from Franclemont & Todd, in Hodges et al. (1983), as no subspecies were listed by Poole (1989) or Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010). The subspecies nigrolunata was subsequently removed, and laerta was relegated to a synonym.

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 55.23f; p. 303. Book Review and ordering
Schmidt B.C. & G.G. Anweiler, 2010. Taxonomic changes to Lepidoptera: Macro-moths. In: PohlG.R., Anweiler G.G., Schmidt B.C., Kondla N.G. An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada. ZooKeys, 38: 507. (PDF or read online)
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum
Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths
Species Page at iNaturalist

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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