Diversity: Worldwide approximately 35,000 species placed in 4,200 genera, and at least 29 subfamilies; North America has at least 3,040 species in 23 subfamilies; 576 species have been documented from the Dakotas. There are more species of noctuid moths in North Dakota than resident bird species in America north of Mexico.

Checklist numbers: 8322- 9177, 9191- 11233.

Biology: Larvae occupy a large number of niches: external foliage feeders on trees, forbs, or grasses; subsurface cutworms, stem borers, bud feeders, fungivores, detritivores, or carnivores. Adults are often nectar feeders, but some species also utilize sap flows, rotting fruit, dung, tears, or blood. The common name of owlet comes from the light reflectance properties of their compound eyes. Many economically important species: Forage looper, Cabbage looper, Glassy cutworm, Corn earworm, Green fruitworm, Fall armyworm, Army cutworm, Armyworm, Black cutworm, etc.

Notes:  The classification presented here is that of Kitching and Rawlins (1999) with the following subfamilies recorded from North Dakota: Acontiinae, Acronictinae, Agaristinae, Amphipyrinae, Bryophilinae, Calpinae, Catocalinae, Condicinae, Cucullinae  Eustrotiinae, Euteliinae, Hadeninae, Heliothentinae, Herminiinae, Hypeninae, Noctuinae, Plusiinae, Psaphidinae, Raphiinae, Stiriinae, and Ufeinae. 
Recent molecular studies (Weller et al. 1994, Mitchell et al. 2000) indicate that the traditional Noctuidae may be a paraphyletic group: Plusiinae deserving family status and quadrifid noctuid subfamilies grouped with the Arctiidae and Lymantriidae.       

     See also:
Key to the subfamilies of North Dakota Noctuidae. 
Key to the Noctuinae of the Dakotas.
Key to the Plusiinae of the Dakotas.
Data for Noctuidae pictured on this web site.
 

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McDaniel, B. and G. Fauske. 1981. The genus Catocala Schrank collected from four eastern South Dakota Counties. (Noctuidae: Catocalinae). J. Lep. Soc. 35(2): 94-100.

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