Agrotis segetum, sometimes known as the turnip moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is a common European species and it is found in Africa and across Eurasia except for the northernmost parts.
It is a cutworm in the genus Agrotis, which possibly is the genus that includes the largest number of species of cutworms.
It is usually known as the common cutworm in English. It is sometimes called the turnip moth in the United Kingdom.
This is a very variable species with the fore-wings ranging from pale buff through to almost black. The paler forms have three dark-bordered stigmata on each fore-wing. Antennae of male bipectinated (comb like on both sides) with moderate length branches. The main feature distinguishing it from other Agrotis species is the shade of the hind-wings, pure white in the males and pearly grey in the females. The wingspan is 32–42 mm.
Edward Meyrick, an English schoolteacher who is especially notable for his study of the microlepidoptera, had this to say about the species:
Agrotis segetum is difficult to certainly distinguish from its congeners. See Townsend et al.
It is possible it has been spread by the international trade in nursery stock.
In the British Isles, two broods are produced each year, the adults flying in May and June and again in August and September. It is known to migrate some distances. The species is nocturnal and is attracted to light and nectar-rich flowers. The species overwinters as a caterpillar.
