Arctic Smudge vs Black Cutworm

Plutella haasi compared with Agrotis ipsilon

Key Differences

Arctic Smudge is Near Threatened while Black Cutworm is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Smudge	Black Cutworm
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Plutellidae	Noctuidae
Genus	Plutella	Agrotis
Species	Plutella haasi	Agrotis ipsilon

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic Smudge and Black Cutworm share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

View Order: Lepidoptera

Conservation Status

Arctic Smudge

NT — Near Threatened

Black Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Smudge	Black Cutworm
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic Smudge

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Black Cutworm

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (7 countries), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Chile).

Arctic Smudge

The Arctic Smudge (Plutella haasi) is a species in the genus Plutella. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Black Cutworm

The Black Cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) is a species in the genus Agrotis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the. Widely distributed across Africa (7 countries), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (Canada, United Stat...