Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 161 NC Records

Acronicta brumosa Guenée, 1852 - Charred Dagger

Acronicta brumosaAcronicta brumosa
view caption 		Acronicta brumosaAcronicta brumosa
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931419.79		 MONA Number:
9255.00
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 afflicta to form the Afflicta Species Group.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2018)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1954); Wagner et al. (2011); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The ground color of the forewings is charcoal- to bluish-gray with no brownish or greenish shading (Forbes, 1954; Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020). A black basal dash is present and the antemedian line is also blackish although somewhat diffuse; an anal and subapical dash may also be present but are usually indistinct and imbedded in areas with darker shading. The orbicular spot is oval in shape and filled with gray. The hindwings are white with veins and subterminal area shaded with dark gray. Acronicta afflicta is similar but smaller and usually has a brownish shading and a rounder orbicular spot that has a white filling. Acronicta impressa is also similar but has fuscous hindwings and a smaller, rounder orbicular spot with a sharper dark pupil (Schmidt and Anweiler).
Wingspan: 40 mm (Forbes, 1954)
Forewing Length: 18.8 mm, males; 20.0 mm, females (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)
Adult Structural Features: Reproductive structures are distinctive in both males and females and can be used to distinguish this species from A. afflicta.
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are similar to those of A. afflicta but have two pairs of spatulate setae located dorsally on each segment, whereas a single pair per segment is present in A. afflicta.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records correspond to the distribution of Turkey Oak in North Carolina, but there are also at least a few records from the western part of the state where some other species of oak -- perhaps Blackjack Oak -- may be the host species.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Acronicta brumosaAlamance 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.