Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha): Choose a Family

Home

View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Acronicta Members:	405 NC Records

Acronicta americana (Harris, 1841) - American Dagger

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Acronictinae

P3 Number:
931421

MONA Number:
9200.00

Comments: One of 74 species in this genus found in North America north of Mexico (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020), 42 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Acronicta americana was included in Species Group I by Forbes (1954), which in North Carolina also includes A. rubricoma, A. hastulifera, A. dactylina, and A. lepusculina.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)

Adult Markings: Our largest Dagger. Forewings are pale gray with the postmedian usually the most prominent marking: a scalloped, double, white-filled line with both the inner and outer edges well defined and darker than the ground color, at least when fresh. The orbicular is oval shaped and also pale-filled but the large horseshoe-shaped reniform has a fuscous filling. No basal dash is present but there is typically a slender, black anal dash. The hindwings are sexually dimorphic, being dark fuscous in the females and a paler luteous in the males; the veins are lined with dark in both sexes but are more contrasting in the males (Forbes, 1954). A distinct median line is also present on the hindwing (Covell, 1984), at least on the underside, but shows through to the upperside to a varying extent. Acronicta dactylina and A. hastulifera are smaller but have forewings with a similar pattern. The inner edge of the postmedian in those species is more diffuse or absent (Forbes, 1954), but can be very similar to that of worn A. americana. In both A. dactylina and A. hastulifera, the outer side of the postmedian tends to be more darkly shaded, at least where the anal dash crosses it, and the reniform is usually covered with a dark smudge. In A. americana, the postmedian area is usually the same or only slightly darker than the ground color and the dark shade in the reniform is more confined to the center. The hindwing of female A. americana is much darker than those of the other species and is diagnostic. In male A. americana, the hindwing is about the same shade as the females of the other two species, but the dark veins are much more contrasting. Males of both A. dactylina and A. hastulifera have nearly white hindwings, lined with gray, which easily distinguishes them from A. americana (Forbes, 1954). Although Covell (1984) states that a median line on the hindwing is characteristic of A. americana, both A. dactylina and A. hastulifera also possess them, again usually most strongly marked on the underside of the wing but showing through to the upperside in some cases.

Wingspan: 50-62 mm (Forbes, 1954)

Structural photos

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Probably occurs state-wide, but seems to be uncommon on the coast.

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Wagner et al. (2011) list woodlands and forests as habitats used by this species. Our records come from the most of the hardwood habitats found in the state except for maritime forest in the southern Coastal Plain. We do not have records from pocosins or maritime shrublands, or other sites dominated by shrubs rather than trees.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are widely polyphagous on hardwood trees and shrubs. Wagner (2005) lists maple, alder, birch, hornbeam, hickory, chestnut, redbud, hazelnut, ash, walnut, sycamore, poplar, oak, willow, basswood, and elm. In North Carolina, the species has been observed on a variety of hardwood trees, but maples seem to be the primary host. Specifically, larvae have been recorded feeding on Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and Box-elder (A. negundo). - View

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Acronicta americana - American Dagger

163 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2025-09-30 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Katherine Gary on 2025-09-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-09-01 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-19 Wilson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-08-09 Henderson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03 Moore Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-02 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-07-26 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2025-07-14 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-24 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-22 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-21 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-21 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-04-21 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-05 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-08-31 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-07 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-08-04 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-01 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-20 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-16 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment: