Moths of North Carolina
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42 NC Records

Acronicta spinigera Guenée, 1852 - Nondescript Dagger

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931452.00 MONA Number: 9235.00
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. This species is placed in subgenus Agriopodes by Schmidt and Anweiler, and in the Hasta Species Group. Other members of this group in North Carolina include Acronicta hamamelis, A. lithospila, A. innotata, A. betulae, A. radcliffei, A. hasta, A. interrupta, A. laetifica, A. superans, A. morula, and A. lobeliae.
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)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color is powdery light gray with only a small amount of brown in the subterminal area (Forbes, 1954). A fine black basal dash is present that extends out to the antemedian where it has forks connecting to both the inner and outer portion of that line. The apical and anal dashes are also very fine and sharp. The antemedian is double with the inner and outer lines about equally strong. The postmedian is strongly dentate and also double, although the inner line is more indistinct except towards the inner margin. The subterminal is formed by a series of diffuse whitish spots, with the one at the anal angle the strongest. The orbicular is large, fairly round, and filled with the pale gray ground color. The reniform is usually darkly shaded, with a dark median line extending across it from the costa. The hindwings are evenly fuscous-gray and only slightly darker than the forewings. This species is similar to several other members of the hasta group, but lacks the dash between the orbicular and reniform that is usually present in Acronicta hasta, A. laetifica, and A. lobeliae. Compared to A. interrupta, the forewing is more mottled, rather than the smooth gray of A. interrupta; its reniform is also larger and its wings are generally broader (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020). Acronicta clarescens is also similar, particularly in specimens that lack the distinctive yellow thoracic tuft. The dashes in that species, however, are usually more diffusely smudged rather than narrow and sharply defined as they are in spinigera.
Wingspan: 3.7 - 4.8 cm (Covell, 1984)
Forewing Length: 19.8 mm (males); 20.8 (females) (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)
Adult Structural Features: Males can be distinguished genitalically from Acronicta laetifica, A. hasta, and A. interrupta by their long ampulla; the v-shaped, straplike dorsal part of the juxta, and the smaller cornuti in the vessica (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Though Brimley recorded the species in Raleigh in 1938, all of our records have been restricted to the mountains.
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: Our records come mainly from cove forests and high elevation forests in the mountains
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have apparently not been observed in the wild (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020), but captive-reared larvae appear to prefer basswood, with elm and apple also accepted (Wagner et al., 2011). Covell (1984) also lists cherry and blackberry as hosts, but which (if any) of these species are used in North Carolina is unknown. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Mesic Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4 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 spinigera - Nondescript Dagger

Photos: 13

Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-08-17
Graham Co.
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Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-08-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-09
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-05-01
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-08-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-07-25
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-06-07
Madison Co.
Comment: