Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) - Setaceous Hebrew Character/ Spotted Cutworm

Taxonomic Information

Forty-four species of Xestia are known from the Indian subcontinent. See the Identification tab for similar species info.

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Xestia c-nigrum - Setaceous Hebrew Character/ Spotted Cutworm


Similar species:
Xestia praetermissa (Warren, 1912)
Rhyacia praetermissa Warren, 1912; 6; TL: India, Nilgiri Hills; Ooty
https://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-12/noctuinae/noctuinae_3_1.php says Xestia praetermissa may be a race of c-nigrum.

Xestia ditrapezium (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Xestia_Ditrapezium [accessed 22 May 2021]
FBI, Hampson, Vol. 2, Pg. 188, # 1647 as Agrotis ditrapezium. FW spot is not triangular.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh12
Jammu and Kashmir1
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh1
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand12112
West Bengal1
Total2411212
Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) – Setaceous Hebrew Character/ Spotted Cutworm: Allium cepa (Amaryllidaceae), Apium graveolens, Daucus carota (Apiaceae), Avena sativa (Poaceae), Beta vulgaris (Amaranthaceae), Brassica oleracea, Brassica rapa (Brassicaceae), Cichorium intybus, Cirsium arvense, Dendranthema, Calendula, Senecio vulgaris (Asteraceae), Lantana (Lamiaceae), Platanus orientalis (Platanaceae), Rumex (Polygonaceae), Pyrus communis (Rosaceae), Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae), Viola tricolor (Vilaceae), Zea mays (Poaceae), Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae), Platanus orientalis (Platanaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010)
  1. Phalaena (Noctua) c-nigrum Linnaeus, 1758; Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1: 516; TL: Europe.
  2. Haruta, T. (Ed.). 1992. Moths of Nepal. Part 1. TINEA. Vol. 13 (Supplement 2). The Japan Heterocerists’ Society, Tokyo.Pl. 14/17.
  3. Hampson, G. F. 1894. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Moths, Vol. 2. Taylor & Francis, London. Arctiidae, Agrostidae, Noctuidae 609 p - 325 figs.Pg. 188, # 1647 as Agrotis c-nigrum.
  4. Chandra, K., Kumar, V., Singh, N., Raha, A., Sanyal, A.K.2019. Assemblages of Lepidoptera in Indian Himalaya through long term monitoring plots. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 1-457 pp.  Pl. 146.7.
  5. http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Xestia_C-Nigrum [accessed 22 May 2021]

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Xestia c-nigrum (Linnaeus, 1758) – Setaceous Hebrew Character/ Spotted Cutworm. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.72. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://moths.ncbs.res.in/xestia-c-nigrum, accessed 2024/03/29.