Moths of North Carolina
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Acronicta Members:
441 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 increta
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: Wagner (2005) lists barrens, woodlands, and forests as habitat. Our record come mainly from mesic rather than dry sites.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae have been reported from chestnut (Castanea), oaks (Quercus), hazel (Corylus), and birch (Betula) (Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, we have observed the species feeding on White Oak (Quercus alba) and American Beech (Fagus grandifolia). - 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 [S5]
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 increta - Eclipsed Oak Dagger

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

Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-06
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2025-05-02
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-29
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-05
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
Comment: A member of the A. increta species group on Fagus grandifolia.		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kenneth Geisert, David Bradley, Julie Tuttle, Patrick Coin, Kaitlyn Elliott, Becky Watkins on 2024-08-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-08-07
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham 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, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin, Steve Hall, Carol Tingley, Tom Howard on 2024-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-26
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-07-25
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-07-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-11
Watauga 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 2024-07-04
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-07-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-06-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-06-26
Graham Co.
Comment: