Moths of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

View PDF	Noctuidae Members:	Acronicta Members:	9 NC Records
Acronicta impressa Walker, 1856 - Impressed Dagger

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Taxonomy

Superfamily: Noctuoidea	Family: Noctuidae	Subfamily: Acronictinae	P3 Number: 931477	MONA Number: 9261.00	MONA Synonym: Acronicta distans
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. Acronicta impressa is a member of Species Group V of Forbes (1954), which in North Carolina also includes A. impleta, A. noctivaga, A. longa, A. oblinita, A. lanceolaria, and A. sinescripta.
Species Status: Includes Acronicta distans as a synonym (see discussion in Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020).

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)	Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD	Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)
Adult Markings: The ground color is powdery gray, with the fold heavily marked with black (impressa as described by Forbes, 1954) or broken into a basal dark wedge followed by a dark oblong bar in the median area ("distans"). A melanic form ("scintillans") also occurs. The lines are normal, with dark outlines and pale filling. The same is true for the oribicular and reniform spots, which typically have a dark center.
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.


Flight 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 et al. (2011) list edges of watercourses, fields, meadows, powerlines, and forest edges as habitats used by this species. Our records come from cove forests and high elevation hardwoods.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on a wide range of hardwood trees and shrubs belonging to several different families (Wagner et al., 2011). Willow and poplar appear to be commonly used. Wagner (2005) also lists alder, birch, blackberry, blueberry, oak, and serviceberry as hosts. - View

Wikipedia

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SU

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments:

Acronicta impressa Walker, 1856 - Impressed Dagger