आमतौर पर सुस्त रंगीन मध्यम आकार के निशाचर पतंग; आमतौर पर चिकनी-शरीर वाली लार्वा विनाशकारी कृषि कीट हैं

noctuid's Usage Examples:

Moth ' Butterfly Wing Scales Wing of a noctuid moth ' Butterfly Wing Scales Wing of a noctuid moth (Noctuidae) showing how the ordinary surface wing scales lie in overlapping rows.

An example of the latter occurs in Singapore where the vicious red spinning-ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) is mimicked by the larva of a Noctuid moth and by spiders belonging to two distinct families, namely, Saltiicus plataleoides (Salticidae) and Amyciaea forticeps (Thomisidae), there being no reason to suppose that either the moth larva or the spiders are protected forms. Mimetic aggregations of species similar to those mentioned above have been found in other countries; but the instances cited are sufficient to show how widespread are the influences of mimicry and how profoundly it has modified the insect fauna of various parts of the world.

A parallel case of mimicry exists at Singapore between the larva of a Noctuid moth and the common red tree-ant (Oecophylla smaragdina).

noctuid's Meaning':

usually dull-colored medium-sized nocturnal moth; the usually smooth-bodied larvae are destructive agricultural pests