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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 - Pleasant Dagger - Acronicta laetifica

Pleasant Dagger - Hodges#9227 - Acronicta laetifica

Acronicta laetifica – Pleasant Dagger 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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