Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 31 NC Records

Acronicta radcliffei (Harvey, 1875) - Radcliffe's Dagger

Acronicta radcliffeiAcronicta radcliffeiAcronicta radcliffei
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931441.1		 MONA Number:
9209.00
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 radcliffei 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)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized, pale gray Dagger with a distinctive pattern of fine black lines. The ground color is a smooth pale gray without any conspicuous brown shading. The basal area is crossed on the inner side by linear black dashes that extend outward past the antemedian. The antemedian is also narrow and black, bordered outwardly with a band of gray that is paler than the ground color. This line intersects the basal dashes at a right angle, with the outer portion running to the costa. Unique among our species of Acronicta, the inner portion of the antemedian runs a slanted to slightly excurved course to the inner margin. The postmedian is also quite distinct, consisting of a fairly smooth black line bordered on the anterior side by a pale gray band. From the costa, it forms a wide, smooth arc beyond the cell, followed by a couple of small teeth at the cubitus and then forming a smooth inward curve to the inner margin, where it is intersected by a black anal dash. No apical dash is present, however. Both the orbicular and reniform are large, filled with the ground color and partially outlined in black. The hindwings are fuscous.

Acronicta interrupta and A. spinigera are similar in size and appearance but have more strongly dentate, doubled postmedian lines, spots that are more completely outlined with black, and usually well-marked apical dashes.
Wingspan: 38 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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 radcliffeiAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Schmidt and Anweiler (2020) describe the habitat of this species as primarily dry woodlands, forest edges, and shrublands. However, our records also include a number of mesic forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are oligophagous, feeding on cherry and other woody members of the Rosaceae. Wagner et al. (2011) list apple (Malus), chokecherry (Aronia), hawthorn (Crataegus), mountain-ash (Sorbus), and serviceberry (Amelanchier). The HOSTS database also lists ash (Fraxinus), elm (Ulmus), and willow (Salix) (Robinson et al., 2010). In North Carolina, we have observed the species feeding on Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) and American Mountain-ash (Sorbus americana). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Rosaceous Thickets
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
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 radcliffei - Radcliffe's Dagger

Photos: 17
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-09
Orange Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-07
Chatham Co.
Comment: feeding on Black Cherry
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-09-07
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-05-22
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: David George on 2020-09-26
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-05-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2018-08-06
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2018-07-19
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-05-29
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2017-07-30
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2017-07-25
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2017-06-03
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Acronicta radcliffeiRecorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-05-23
Ashe Co.
Comment: