Species Acronicta lepusculina - Cottonwood Dagger Moth - Hodges#9205

9205

First described in 1852 by Achille Guénée as Acronycta lepusculina

From Latin lepusculus- "little hare". The original description compares it to Acronicta leporina, whose name is itself derived from lepus- "hare"

uncommon but very widely distributed

wingspan 40-50 mm

forewing whitish; lines faint except for 3 black blotches representing tips of lines at costa; black basal dash present; usually no orbicular spot

hindwing white

"Although vulpina is usually paler, lepusculina is very variable and Midwestern ones can be nearly white. Vulpina has the PM line more offset towards the wing base and usually has an orbicular spot that is mostly absent in lepusculina...FW shape is more acute in lepusculina." Second comment: "The dark patch in the postmedial area near the anal margin is more offset towards the wing base in vulpina compared to lepusculina, where the whole PM line is more even." - Chris Schmidt

genitalia

British Columbia to Nova Scotia, south to Florida, west to California (i.e. all of US and coast-to-coast in southern Canada)

forested riverbanks; treed floodplains

adults fly from April to September in the south (2 broods), and May to August in the north (1 brood)

larvae feed on leaves of Populus species (Trembling Aspen, Balsam Poplar, Cottonwood), plus birch and willow

one generation per year in the north, two in the south

Overwinters as a pupa in a cocoon composed of silk and bits of wood(1)

larva; adult