Flame-Shouldered Dart

Fascinating facts about the Flame-Shouldered Dart

• It inhabits a transcontinental belt from Newfoundland down to South Carolina, west to Arizona and north to British Columbia. The moth belongs to the family Noctuidae, a large group of night-flying insects. Its documented presence stretches from the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland across to the Pacific province of British Columbia and down to the southern United States such as South Carolina and Arizona, linking the Atlantic and Pacific regions of North America.
• The moth was formally described in 1998 by Don Lafontaine. He distinguished it from the very similar Ochropleura plecta that occurs in Europe and Asia.
• Its wingspan measures 25-32 mm, a size that is also expressed as 0.98-1.26 in. These dimensions are recorded for adult individuals of the species, providing a precise metric range for identification. The variation between the smallest and largest specimens reflects natural size differences within the population.
• Adult flame-shouldered darts take to the air from early April and remain active through the end of September, a span that includes the full spring season, the entire summer months and the onset of autumn. This extended flight window allows the moth to exploit the warm months across its broad North American range. Their presence during these months is recorded consistently throughout the species' distribution.
• The species completes two full generations each calendar year, meaning that the life cycle from egg to adult is repeated twice within the same season. This bi-annual turnover results in two distinct broods of moths emerging during the extended flight period. The dual-generation pattern is a characteristic noted for this moth across its entire range.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Flame-Shouldered Dart

In the warm, golden light of dusk, the Flame-Shouldered Dart takes to the skies, its delicate wings beating with a hypnotic rhythm as it dances through the air in pursuit of its insect prey. With a flash of vibrant orange on its shoulders, this nocturnal moth signals its presence to potential mates, its remarkable coloration a beacon in the fading light. As it flits and weaves through the undergrowth, its very existence is a testament to the enchanting, unseen world of creatures that thrive in the shadows.

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