Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 451 NC Records

Acronicta increta Morrison, 1874 - Eclipsed Oak Dagger

Acronicta incretaAcronicta incretaAcronicta incretaAcronicta increta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931419.87		 MONA Number:
9249.00		 Other Common Names:
Southern Oak Dagger, Small Oak 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 (2020), and in the Increta Species Group. Other members of this group in North Carolina include Acronicta albarufa, A. ovata, A. modica (=haesitata), A. immodica (=modica), A. exilis, and A. tristis.
Species Status: It has long been suspected that Acronicta increta and A. inclara were part of a species complex. Forbes (1954) thought that A. inclara was probably the normal gray phase of A. increta and both Rings et al. (1992) and Wagner et al. (2011) combined the two under A. increta, as does Schmidt and Anweiler (2020). That is how we are currently treating this species.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium-sized dagger. The ground color varies from pale gray (form inclara) to dark gray with a greenish or olive cast (typical increta) (Forbes, 1954). In addition to having a dark basal dash and antemedian line, most of the basal area is conspicuously darker than the median portion of the wing, giving this species a bicolored appearance. The antemedian line is double and extends from the base of the wing all the way to the costa (in A. ovata, the antemedian typically fades out before reaching the costa); a yellowish spot or patch is usually visible at the base of the inner margin. The subtornal dash found in other members of this group is weak or absent but a dark wedge is often present that extends from the outer margin in along the fold. The orbicular is outlined with pale gray, with a spot of the same color in the center; otherwise the filling consists of the ground color and the orbicular overall does not strongly contrast with the rest of the median area. The reniform is larger but similar in outline, and usually is marked with reddish or greenish. The hindwings are fuscous with darker veins. Most other Acronicta species are not as bicolored in appearance as A. increta. Acronicta tristis, however, is very similar in wing pattern but lacks the greenish cast found in the dark forms of A. increta (Forbes, 1954).
Wingspan: 32-35 mm (Forbes, 1954)
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 incretaAlamance 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.