''Xestia badicollis'', the northern variable dart, northern conifer dart or white pine cutworm when referring to the larval stage, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. It is found in North America from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, west to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. It is part of the ''elimata'' species group. Three of the species in this group (''

Xestia praevia ''Xestia praevia'' is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Canada (New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) south to California. It is part of the ''elimata'' species group. Three of the species in th ...

'', ''

Xestia elimata ''Xestia elimata'', the southern variable dart or variable climbing caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. It is found in the eastern part of North America, including Georgia, ...

'' and ''Xestia badicollis'') have no significant difference in genitals nor DNA, suggesting they may be a single species. This

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 32–45 mm. The moth flies from July to October depending on the location. There is one generation per year. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

feeds on eastern white pine and less frequently on balsam fir, eastern hemlock, eastern larch, white spruce and other conifers.

References

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"White Pine Cutworm (''Xestia badicollis'')"
''BugwoodWiki''. Retrieved March 24, 2020. Xestia Moths of North America {{Xestia-stub