Species Acronicta funeralis - Funerary Dagger - Hodges#9221

9221

Paddle Caterpillar (larva)

FUNERALIS/FUNERARY: probably refers to the traditional black color related to funerals, as much of the larva and part of the adult is black

uncommon

wingspan 32-40 mm

Adult: forewing longitudinally bicolored (light gray on costal two-thirds, black along inner third, with sharp dividing line); broad basal dash has large tooth pointing toward costa; in melanic indidivuals, the light gray is replaced by very dark gray

hindwing white on basal half, shading to gray on distal half, with dark gray veins

Larva: early instars brown with white markings; fourth instar black with middorsal light yellow markings that are triangular to elliptical with transverse black streaks in the center, and a pair of long black hairs with flattened tips that resemble paddles - hence the common name of Paddle Caterpillar

patchy distribution: Manitoba to Nova Scotia, south to Maryland, plus Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and along the west coast from California to BC (apparently missing from much of the midwest and several southern states)

adults fly from May to August

larvae in July and August

larvae feed on leaves of alder, apple, birch, blueberry/huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.), cottonwood, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, maple, oak, willow

two or more generations per year in the south; one or two in the north

Adults of A. impressa (and A. mansueta in the west) have a bicolored gray/black forewing but the colors are not sharply-demarcated (compare images of all 3 species)

adult image plus common name reference [Funerary Dagger] and food plants (Larry Line, Maryland)

pinned adult images of normal and melanic forms (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)

pinned adult image (CBIF)

pinned adult image and other info (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)

live larva image plus description, food plants, and season (Jeffrey Miller, Caterpillars of Northwest Forests and Woodlands; USGS)

live larva image plus food plants and flight season (Pedro Barbosa, U. of Maryland)

live larva image (Richard Seaman, New Jersey)

food plants and flight season (Ohio State U.)

common name reference [Paddle Caterpillar; larva] (Entomological Society of Canada)

distribution in the east (Dalton State College, Georgia)

presence in Texas; list (James Gillaspy, U. of Texas)

Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America - additional larva info