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

Acronicta vinnula (Grote, 1864) - Delightful Dagger

Acronicta vinnula
view caption 		Acronicta vinnulaAcronicta vinnulaAcronicta vinnula
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Acronictinae		P3 Number:
931427.3		 MONA Number:
9225.00
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. Acronicta vinnula is a member of Species Group II of Forbes (1954), which includes 17 additional species in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Wingspan: 2.8 - 3.2 cm (Covell, 1984)
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 vinnula
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: The majority of our records come from bottomland hardwoods and upland forests growing on mafic subtrates, all where American and/or Slippery Elms are likely to occur. However, we also have records from blackwater bottomlands and adjoining ridges where neither American or Slippery Elms would be expected. Winged Elm may be a possibility in some of those areas but has not been recorded in some areas of the Outer Coastal Plain where the moth has been collected (e.g., Carteret and Pender; J.B. Sullivan, cited by Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020).
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on elms, with American Elm probably the most used (Robinson et al., 2010; Wagner et al., 2011). In North Carolina, it has been observed feeding on Winged Elm. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet-Dry Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 S4
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 vinnula - Delightful Dagger

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

Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-06
Wilson 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, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-08-05
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-30
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2023-07-28
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2023-07-28
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-05-22
Davidson Co.
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Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-05-17
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2023-05-09
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-30
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-07-27
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson, Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2022-06-04
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-31
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2021-08-24
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-05-19
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-07-20
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-25
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2020-05-13
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-28
Guilford Co.
Comment: