Black Cutworm vs Crested Cow-Wheat

Agrotis ipsilon compared with Melampyrum cristatum

Key Differences

Black Cutworm is Least Concern while Crested Cow-Wheat is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Cutworm	Crested Cow-Wheat
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family	Noctuidae	Orobanchaceae
Genus	Agrotis	Melampyrum
Species	Agrotis ipsilon	Melampyrum cristatum

Conservation Status

Black Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Crested Cow-Wheat

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Cutworm	Crested Cow-Wheat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Crested Cow-Wheat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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...