Black Cutworm vs Thyme Plume

Agrotis ipsilon compared with Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Key Differences

• Black Cutworm is Least Concern while Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Cutworm	Thyme Plume
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	Pterophoridae
Genus	Agrotis	Merrifieldia
Species	Agrotis ipsilon	Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Black Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Cutworm	Thyme Plume
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).

Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Morocco), Asia (7 countries), and Europe (35 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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...

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇩🇿 Algeria 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden