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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Owlet Moths (Noctuidae) » Acronictinae » Dagger Moths (Acronicta) » Pleasant Dagger - Hodges#9227 (Acronicta laetifica)

Species Acronicta laetifica - Pleasant Dagger - Hodges#9227

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited
Acronicta laetifica Acronicta laetifica Noctuidae: Acronicta laetifica - Acronicta laetifica Pleasant Dagger - Acronicta laetifica possible Acronicta laetifica - Acronicta laetifica Noctuidae, Pleasant Dagger - Acronicta laetifica Pleasant Dagger - Hodges#9227 - Acronicta laetifica Pennsylvania Moth - Acronicta laetifica
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths)
Subfamily Acronictinae
Genus Acronicta (Dagger Moths)
Species laetifica (Pleasant Dagger - Hodges#9227)
Hodges Number
9227
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Acronicta laetifica Smith, 1897
Numbers
Uncommon to rare
Size
Wingspan 37-43 mm (1)
Identification
Forewing white, dusted and mottled with pale gray (melanic specimens slate gray); PM line with conspicuous white border; basal dash heavy toward outer end; small anal, subapical, and orbicular-reniform dashes also present; orbicular spot white-filled
[description by Charles Covell]
Range
Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Texas, north to Manitoba (1)
Season
Adults fly from May to July in Ohio; April to October in the south (1)
Food
Larvae feed on American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), and possibly American Hazelnut (Corylus americana).
Use of Hickory (Carya species) (1)
Life Cycle
Two or more generations in the south; one in the north (1)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group – images of live and pinned adults (2)
BOLD Systems - images of DNA supported specimens (3)
Wikipedia - brief description (1)
pinned adult image (CBIF)
pinned adult image (Larry Line, Maryland)
common name reference plus food plant and flight season (Ohio State U.)
Works Cited
1.Wikipedia
2.North American Moth Photographers Group
3.BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data Systems
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 3 November, 2005 - 6:10pm
Additional contributions by Ethan Kistler, Robert Lord Zimlich, George Smiley
Last updated 4 July, 2016 - 7:21pm

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