Moths of North Carolina
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Acronicta Members:
303 NC Records

Acronicta afflicta Grote, 1864 - Afflicted Dagger

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931471.00 MONA Number: 9254.00
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. Placed in subgenus Lepitoreuma by Schmidt and Anweiler (2020), which contains nine species in North Carolina, and further joined by Acronicta brumosa to form the Afflicta Species Group.
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)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954); Wagner (2005); Wagner et al. (2011); Anweiler and Schmidt (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the forewings is generally blackish with a brownish cast; small, diffuse patches of white are also present. A black, bar-shaped basal dash is present but the most conspicuous marking is the orbicular spot, which is round, filled with white, but with a diffuse grayish central spot. The hindwings are off-white, with fuscous shading on the veins and more generally towards the outer margin (Forbes, 1954; Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020). Acronicta brumosa is similar in pattern but the forewings are not shaded with brown and appear more bluish-gray. The basal dash is also longer in A. brumosa and the orbicular is more oval-shaped and is filled with pale gray rather than white. Acronicta hamamelis is another dark, brownish-gray species but has darkly-shaded hindwings and has a more elliptical orbicular that is shaded with dark gray.
Wingspan: 40 mm (Forbes, 1954); 3.5 - 4.5 cm (Covell, 1984)
Forewing Length: 17.4 mm, males; 18.3 mm, females (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)
Adult Structural Features: Reproductive structures are distinctive in both males and females and can be used to distinguish A. afflicta from A. brumosa (see Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020, for a detailed description and illustrations).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae vary in color but possess spatulate setae. In A. afflicta, a single pair of spatulate setae are present dorsally on each segment; in A. brumosa, which is otherwise similar, two pairs exists per segment (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide, from the high mountains to the barrier islands.
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)

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