Moths of North Carolina
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Acronicta Members:
70 NC Records

Acronicta betulae Riley, 1884 - River Birch Dagger

Acronicta betulaeAcronicta betulaeAcronicta betulaeAcronicta betulae
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931434.8 MONA Number: 9208.00
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 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)
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.
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: 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 (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR 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

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

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