Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Acronicta Members: 9 NC Records

Acronicta impressa Walker, 1856 - Impressive Dagger

Acronicta impressa
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Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931477		 MONA Number:
9261.00		 MONA Synonym:
Acronicta distans		Other Common Name:
Impressed 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. 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, BOLDTechnical 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.
Acronicta impressaAlamance 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.
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) report that willow (Salix) and poplar (Popular) appear to be commonly used, but larvae have also been recorded on alder (Alnus), apple (Malus), beech (Fagus), birch (Betula), blueberry (Vaccinium), cherry (Prunus), elm (Ulmus), hazel (Corylus), larch (Larix), oak (Quercus), serviceberry (Amelanchier), and Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), as well as dogbane (Apocynum), Sweet-gale (Myrica gale), meadowsweet (Spiraea), currant (Ribes), blackberry (Rubus), and rose (Rosa). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-PK]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S2S3]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
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