Black Cutworm vs Mnestra’s Ringlet

Agrotis ipsilon compared with Erebia mnestra

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Cutworm	Mnestra’s Ringlet
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	Noctuidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Agrotis	Erebia
Species	Agrotis ipsilon	Erebia mnestra

Evolutionary Relationship

Black Cutworm and Mnestra’s Ringlet share a common ancestor at the Order level: Lepidoptera. (Butterflies & Moths)

Conservation Status

Black Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Mnestra’s Ringlet

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Cutworm	Mnestra’s Ringlet
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).

Mnestra’s Ringlet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

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...