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Glite Dictionary
noctuid moth

noctuid moth

9.7
A medium-sized, dull-coloured moth that flies at night and whose caterpillars often damage crops
  • noun
  • /ˈnɒk.tju.ɪd mɔθ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polilla noctuida
  • The noctuid moth is often attracted to porch lights, making it a common sight in summer evenings.

Examples

  • A farmer discovered a noctuid moth in his field, which was damaging his crops at night.

  • A remarkable example of nepotistic cannibalism is found in Copido-soma floridanum parasitic wasps, which infest the eggs of noctuid moths.

    Academic text (1997)

  • After inspecting the garden, she found a noctuid moth resting on the leaves, blending in with the foliage.

Synonyms

noctuid
vsnoctuid moth
  • Specialized
9.9

A medium-sized dull moth active at night whose caterpillars eat crops

is the two-word technical form rather than the shorter single-word name
owlet moth
vsnoctuid moth
9.0

A medium-sized dull colored moth active at night whose caterpillars often eat crops

is the two-word technical form rather than the colloquial common name

Surface Forms

noctuid moth singular
noctuid moths plural

Morphology

noctuid + moth

The noun-noun compound is fully compositional: 'noctuid' names the taxonomic group and 'moth' names the insect, so the phrase denotes a moth belonging to the Noctuidae family. This modifier+head pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning directly derivable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Noctuid moth comes from the old word noctuid meaning 'night' or 'owl', because these moths fly at night like owls. So the name refers to moths that are active after dark and often harm crops.