Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Acronicta Members:
89 NC Records

Acronicta vinnula (Grote, 1864) - Delightful Dagger

Acronicta vinnula
view caption 		Acronicta vinnulaAcronicta vinnulaAcronicta vinnula
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931427.3		 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 Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 2.8 - 3.2 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 vinnula
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
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 (Ulmus spp.), with American Elm (U. americana) probably the most used (Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, the species has been observed feeding on Winged Elm (U. alata). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Dry 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:

 Photo Gallery for Acronicta vinnula - Delightful Dagger

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

Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
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: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2023-07-28
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2023-07-28
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
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.
Comment:
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.
Comment:
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.
Comment:
Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-20
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-25
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-28
Guilford Co.
Comment: