Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Acronicta Members:	239 NC Records

Acronicta immodica Walker, 1856 - Medium Oak Dagger

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Noctuidae

Subfamily:
Acronictinae

P3 Number:
931419.85

MONA Number:
9242.10

MONA Synonym:
Acronicta modica

Other Common Name:
Medium 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. This species is placed in subgenus Lepitoreuma by Schmidt and Anweiler, and in the Increta Species Group. Other members of this group in North Carolina include A. albarufa, A. ovata, A. exilis, A. modica (=haesitata), A. increta, and A. tristis.

Species Status:

Note the change in name! This species was previously named Acronicta haesitata but was recently changed by Schmidt and Anweiler (2020) to Acronicta modica, since the type specimen of A. modica turned out to be what was later called A. haesitata. Conversely, the species that formerly was identified as A. modica is now re-named as A. immodica.

Identification

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

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

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954, as A. modica); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)

Adult Markings: A medium-sized, fairly uniform gray dagger. The ground color of the forewings is pale gray but more-or-less tinged with yellow; the occipital area of the head and tegulae may also be marked with yellow. The basal area is not darker than the rest of the wing and the antemedian line does not strongly contrast with the ground color. The other transverse lines and outlines of the spots are also fairly diffuse, but the anal dash is typically black and narrowly defined. The hindwings are pale fuscous. Acronicta modica (formerly A. haesitata) is similar in size and pattern but lacks the yellow tinge on the forewings, has a somewhat darker antemedian, and has more diffuse anal dashes if they are present at all (Forbes, 1954). Neither A. immodica nor A. modica has a reddish shade at the reniform, which is more characteristic of A. ovata, A. exilis, A. increta, or A. albarufa.

Wingspan: 33-37 mm (Forbes, 1954)

Forewing Length: 17.3 mm, males; 17.9 mm, females (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)

Adult Structural Features: Apart from size -- which distinguishes A. exilis from the others -- members of the Increta Species Group show essentially no structural differences, including reproductive structures (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020).

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) Click on graph to enlarge

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records come mainly from mesic to dry sites but not xeric sites.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been recorded on White Oak (Quercus alba), and probably feed on other oaks (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]

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 immodica - Medium Oak Dagger

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-12 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-21 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-11-05 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: R. Teper, David George on 2024-11-05 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-09-14 Orange 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 on 2024-07-15 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-06 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-16 Rowan Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-07 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-23 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-22 Madison Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-03 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-03-14 Madison Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stefanie Hedrick on 2023-08-17 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-16 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-12 Davidson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-12 Davidson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-05 Davidson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka, David George on 2023-08-05 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Becky Watkins on 2023-07-22 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-22 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-21 Orange Co. Comment: