Acronicta oblinita | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Noctuidae |
Genus: | Acronicta |
Species: | A. oblinita
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Binomial name | |
Acronicta oblinita (
J. E. Smith, 1797)
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Synonyms | |
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Acronicta oblinita, the smeared dagger moth or arioch dagger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Its larva, the smartweed caterpillar, has urticating hairs. [1] The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. [2] [3]
The smeared dagger moth adult has a wingspan of 3.6–5.4 centimetres (1.4–2.1 in). [1] The forewings have a mottled gray appearance, with orbicular and reniform spots on each dorsal surface that are incompletely outlined and indistinct. [1] Smeared-appearing dark wedge spots are present along the postmedial line with their apices pointed inward. [4] There is a terminal line of dark spots on the forewing. [1] The hindwings are white and also have small dark spots along their terminal line. [1]
The larva is a caterpillar up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long that bears numerous tufts of irritating setae on wart-like protuberances along its thoracic and abdominal segments. [1] There are bright yellow blotches in the shape of carets (inverted "V" shapes) between the laterally-positioned spiracles. [1] [5]
The smeared dagger moth is found across Canada as far north as Lake Athabasca. [6] In the United States, the moth is found in the Pacific Northwest [4] and east of the Rocky Mountains south to Florida and Texas. [6] [7]
Habitats include bogs and coastal marshes in the Pacific Northwest [4] and wetlands, forests and meadows more generally. [6] Individuals have been collected in boreal forests in Canada. [6]
The smeared dagger moth has one to two generations per year. [1] [8] In the coastal plain of North Carolina, adults can be seen beginning in early March through late June and again from mid-August until early October. [8] Caterpillars may pupate within folded leaves of their host plant. [9] Overwintering occurs as pupae. [1]
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Larval hosts:
Acronicta oblinita | |
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![]() | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Noctuidae |
Genus: | Acronicta |
Species: | A. oblinita
|
Binomial name | |
Acronicta oblinita (
J. E. Smith, 1797)
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Acronicta oblinita, the smeared dagger moth or arioch dagger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Its larva, the smartweed caterpillar, has urticating hairs. [1] The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. [2] [3]
The smeared dagger moth adult has a wingspan of 3.6–5.4 centimetres (1.4–2.1 in). [1] The forewings have a mottled gray appearance, with orbicular and reniform spots on each dorsal surface that are incompletely outlined and indistinct. [1] Smeared-appearing dark wedge spots are present along the postmedial line with their apices pointed inward. [4] There is a terminal line of dark spots on the forewing. [1] The hindwings are white and also have small dark spots along their terminal line. [1]
The larva is a caterpillar up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long that bears numerous tufts of irritating setae on wart-like protuberances along its thoracic and abdominal segments. [1] There are bright yellow blotches in the shape of carets (inverted "V" shapes) between the laterally-positioned spiracles. [1] [5]
The smeared dagger moth is found across Canada as far north as Lake Athabasca. [6] In the United States, the moth is found in the Pacific Northwest [4] and east of the Rocky Mountains south to Florida and Texas. [6] [7]
Habitats include bogs and coastal marshes in the Pacific Northwest [4] and wetlands, forests and meadows more generally. [6] Individuals have been collected in boreal forests in Canada. [6]
The smeared dagger moth has one to two generations per year. [1] [8] In the coastal plain of North Carolina, adults can be seen beginning in early March through late June and again from mid-August until early October. [8] Caterpillars may pupate within folded leaves of their host plant. [9] Overwintering occurs as pupae. [1]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (September 2022) |
Larval hosts: