Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 247 NC Records

Acronicta ovata Grote, 1873 - Ovate Dagger

Acronicta ovataAcronicta ovataAcronicta ovataAcronicta ovata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931419.83		 MONA Number:
9243.00		 Other Common Name:
Epauleted Ovate 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 Acronicta albarufa, A. exilis, A. modica (=haesitata), A. immodica (=modica), A. increta, and A. tristis.
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)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Acronicta ovata gets its name from the prominently oval basal patch, but is often confused with other members of the Increta Group; usually, it is the combination of several characters that serves to distinguish it (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020). The ground color of the forewings is usually medium gray with a greenish tint. A patch of rusty or yellow-tan scales usually exists overlaying the reniform spot. The antemedian line is dark, but broken -- not reaching the costa or the inner margin. Both the basal and tornal dashes are present but are thin. The hindwings are fuscous. A. exilis can have similar markings but is much smaller and usually paler. A. albarufa can also have similar forewing markings but the hindwings are pure white rather than fuscous. Other members of the Increta Group differ in one or more of the features described for A. ovata (see Schmidt and Anweiler for more details).
Wingspan: 35 mm (Forbes, 1954); 2.8 - 3.5 cm (Covell, 1984)
Forewing Length: 16.0 mm, males, 16.4 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)
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 ovataAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from the entire spectrum of oak-containing habitats, including maritime forests, sand ridges, alluvial forests, and high elevation mesic forests
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed primarily on oaks (Quercus), particularly White Oak (Q. alba) and Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), but have also been reported from beech (Fagus) and chestnut (Castanea) (Wagner et al., 2011). We do not have any specific feeding records in North Carolina. - View
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 ovata - Ovate Dagger

 87 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-16
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-05-15
Buncombe Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-07-30
Orange Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26
Orange Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-23
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George on 2024-07-15
Chatham Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: B. Bockhahn on 2024-07-14
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-07-08
Chatham Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27
Yancey Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-04-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-15
Macon Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Bo Sullivan on 2023-08-08
Wilkes Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: John Petranka, David George on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
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Acronicta ovataRecorded by: Cuck Smith on 2023-08-04
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Acronicta ovataRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-07-31
Macon Co.
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