Moths of North Carolina
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Common Name:
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Acronicta Members:
1 NC Records

Acronicta lepusculina Guenée, 1852 - Cottonwood Dagger

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931425		 MONA Number:
9205.00
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 lepusculina was included in Species Group I by Forbes (1954), which in North Carolina also includes A. rubricoma, A. americana, A. hastulifera, and A. dactylina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-large Dagger, usually with whitish or pale gray forewings. A basal dash is usually present, at least as a smudge, unlike in other members of Forbes's Group I, where it is typically absent. The antemedian is usually represented only by a dark spot on the costa and the fold; a dark spot may also be located on the costa representing the median line. The postmedian is normally complete and moderately dentate. As in Acronicta hastulifera and A. dactylina, it may be accented by dark shading on the outer side, particularly where the anal dash crosses. The orbicular is usually small, obscure, or absent; the reniform is better defined and marked with a dark shade. Hindwings are white without dark lines on the veins. A. hastulifera and A. dactylina are similar in size, pattern, and color but lack the basal dash and usually have less sharply defined dark spots (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 40-50 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Acronicta lepusculina
Flight 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: Our one record comes from a ridge top with an extensive cove forest on a north-facing slope. Balsam Poplars have been observed along some of the creeks in the general area but not close to where the specimen was collected.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed primarily on cottonwoods and other Populus species, but have also reported on alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), and willow (Salix) (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Poplar Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [SR]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S1S2]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: We have only a single record for this northern species. Poplars are present in the New River tributaries near where this species was collected, indicating that there may be a resident population in the area