Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Acronicta Members:	39 NC Records

Acronicta funeralis Grote & Robinson, 1866 - Funerary Dagger

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Acronictinae

P3 Number:
931419.71

MONA Number:
9221.00

Other Common Name:
Paddle 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. Included in subgenus Jocheaera by Schmidt and Anweiler (2020),which has three other members, including A. perblanda in North Carolina.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012); Leckie and Beadle (2018)

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

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

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)

Adult Markings: A very distinctive species, typically with a white ground color on head, thorax, and forewings, and a contrasting black bar along the inner margin of the forewings and strong tornal dashes. Some individuals have a darker gray ground color but are still recognizable by their pattern.

Wingspan: 3.2 - 4 cm (Covell, 1984)

Forewing Length: 15.8 mm, males; 17.0 mm, females (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)

Adult Structural Features: Male reproductive structures are distinctive (see description and illustrations in Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)

Structural photos

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

Immatures and Development: Larvae are highly distinctive. Early instars resemble bird droppings but late instars are black with a mid-dorsal row of yellow spots, each with a black, spatulate seta.

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

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Most records come from the Mountains but there are also a few from lower elevation, including the lower slopes of the Blue Ridge escarpment and from three sites in the Piedmont.

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
Flight Comments: Univoltine, with adults observed from May to August.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Schmidt and Anweiler (2020 describe the habitat of this species as open woodlands with a diverse shrub or small tree component. In North Carolina, records come mainly from mesic and riparian stands of hardwoods, including cove forests, northern hardwood forests, and floodplain forests.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are highly polyphagous on hardwood trees and shrubs. Preferences include members of the birch, rose, and oak families (Wagner et al., 2011), but larvae also reportedly feed on hickory (Carya), maple (Acer), willow (Salix), alder (Alnus), and witch-hazel (Hamamelis). Schmidt and Anweiler (2020) list cottonwood (Populus), willow, hop-hornbeam (Ostrya), alder, and other floodplain species in addition to species associated with mesic hardwood forests. - View

Observation Methods: Adults come well to black lights

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests

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: Although found mainly in montane forests, we have at least a few records from the Piedmont, indicating that there is still more to be learned about the overall distribution of this species in the state. Although we still do not have a large number of records for this species, it does not appear to be restricted in terms of its habitats and currently has only a low level of conservation concern.

Photo Gallery for Acronicta funeralis - Funerary Dagger

Photos: 26

	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08 Wilkes Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-30 Swain Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-07-24 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-07-06 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2023-06-25 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-20 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-05 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-08-05 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-26 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-06-07 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2022-06-07 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2021-08-02 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2020-07-16 Polk Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2020-07-15 Polk Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2019-06-30 Ashe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2018-08-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: J. A. Anderson on 2017-05-17 Surry Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-02 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-08-02 Ashe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2016-06-15 Ashe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger, P. Scharf on 2015-06-18 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kyle Kittelberger on 2013-08-27 Surry Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2013-08-16 Cabarrus Co. Comment: The site where this specimen was collected is located well away from the mountains but in an area rich in Cottonwoods and Willows, two of the recorded host plants for this species		Recorded by: Doug Blatny / Jackie Nelson on 2013-08-15 Ashe Co. Comment: