Acronicta americana
Encyclopedia
The American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) is a moth
of the family Noctuidae
. It is native to North America
.
of 50 to 65 mm (2 to 2.5 inches). It is gray to gray-brown with darker markings. It usually has a sharp, double postmedian line, with white in between the two lines. There is a black dash on the anal area of the fore wing. The hind wing is gray with a faint, darker gray median line in the male. The female is similar, except the hind wing is completely dark.
s can be seen from July to October. It has one brood in the north and two to three broods in the south.
The American Dagger Moth is found in deciduous woodlands and forests.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the family Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
. It is native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Description
The American Dagger Moth has a wingspanWingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
of 50 to 65 mm (2 to 2.5 inches). It is gray to gray-brown with darker markings. It usually has a sharp, double postmedian line, with white in between the two lines. There is a black dash on the anal area of the fore wing. The hind wing is gray with a faint, darker gray median line in the male. The female is similar, except the hind wing is completely dark.
Subspecies
- Acronicta americana americana
- Acronicta americana obscura
- Acronicta americana eldora
Flight period
The American Dagger Moth can be seen from April to September throughout its range. CaterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s can be seen from July to October. It has one brood in the north and two to three broods in the south.
Habitat
Life cycle
The young caterpillar is densely covered with yellow setae. The older caterpillar's setae are either pale yellow or white. All instars have thin, black setae on the first and third abdominal segments. On the eight abdominal segment, there is one tuft of black setae. The caterpillar will reach a length 50 mm (2 inches).Host plants
- Acer sp. — maple
- Acer negundoAcer negundoAcer negundo is a species of maple native to North America. Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, and Maple Ash are its most common names in the United States...
— Box Elder - Aesculus hippocastanum — Horse Chestnut
- Alnus sp. — alder
- Betula sp. — birch
- Carpinus caroliniana — American Hornbeam
- Carya sp. — hickory
- CastaneaCastaneaCastanea can mean:* Castanea , a plant genus including the chestnuts and chinkapins* Castanea, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Castanea Township, Pennsylvania, which surrounds the CDP of the same name...
sp. — chestnut - CercisCercisCercis , is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm-temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as Redbuds...
sp. — redbud - Corylus sp. — hazel
- Fraxinus sp. — ash
- Juglans sp. — walnut
- PlatanusPlatanusPlatanus is a small genus of trees native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae....
sp. — sycamore - Populus sp. — poplar
- Quercus sp. — oak
- Salix sp. — willow
- TiliaTiliaTilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
sp. — basswood - Ulmus sp. — elm