Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 72 NC Records

Acronicta betulae Riley, 1884 - River Birch Dagger

Acronicta betulaeAcronicta betulaeAcronicta betulaeAcronicta betulae
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931434.8		 MONA Number:
9208.00		 Other Common Name:
Birch Dagger
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 betulae is a member of Species Group II of Forbes (1954), which includes 17 additional species in North Carolina.
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)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 3.5 - 4 cm (Covell, 1984)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Acronicta betulaeAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most of our records come from floodplains or their vicinity where River Birch is present. One record from an upland site in the Mountains is associated with a planted stand of River Birch. David George also reports frequent sightings of adults in an urban residential neighborhood in Durham (not near any floodplains), where two River Birches have been planted.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are reported to be monophagous on River Birch (Betula nigra) (Wagner et al., 2011), which has been confirmed as the host plant in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR SNR [S4S5]
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 betulae - River Birch Dagger

 44 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-03
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-08
Wilson Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-17
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-17
Wilson Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-06-26
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-06-08
Wake Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-12
Madison Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-22
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: John Petranka on 2022-09-04
Orange Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-08-28
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-08-24
Durham Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-08-16
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-29
Wake Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-05-04
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-05-04
Durham Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-04-22
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: David George on 2022-04-22
Durham Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-14
Wake Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-06
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-06-07
Moore Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-15
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-05-13
Buncombe Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-04-27
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-20
Wake Co.
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Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-18
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta betulaeRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2021-04-14
Cumberland Co.
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