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

Acronicta vinnula (Grote, 1864) - Delightful Dagger


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931442.00 MONA Number: 9225.00
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 vinnula 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 Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 2.8 - 3.2 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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: The majority of our records come from bottomland hardwoods and upland forests growing on mafic subtrates, all where American and/or Slippery Elms are likely to occur. However, we also have records from blackwater bottomlands and adjoining ridges where neither American or Slippery Elms would be expected. Winged Elm may be a possibility in some of those areas but has not been recorded in some areas of the Outer Coastal Plain where the moth has been collected (e.g., Carteret and Pender; J.B. Sullivan, cited by Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020).
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on elms, with American Elm probably the most used (Robinson et al., 2010; Wagner et al., 2011)
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Dry Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4
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 vinnula - Delightful Dagger

Photos: 23

Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-05-22
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-05-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2023-05-09
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-31
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2021-08-24
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-19
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-20
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-25
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-28
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-05-09
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2018-05-05
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Paul Scharf, B.Bockhahn, C.Mitchell on 2015-06-05
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2015-05-19
Warren Co.
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Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2013-07-27
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2012-05-31
Warren Co.
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Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2010-06-07
Warren Co.
Comment: