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Acronicta lepusculina

(Cottonwood Dagger Moth)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Cottonwood Dagger Moth

Description

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Family Noctuidae

'The Noctuids are members of the Superfamily Noctuoidea. Worldwide in distribution, this family is the largest in the Lepidoptera and has approximately 20,000 species. About 2,900 of these are found in North America, and there is wide variation in appearance and behavior. Most moths are gray to brown in color and have line or spots on their wings . Some species are brightly colored . They are small to large in size, and most species are medium-sized with wingspans 2 - 4.5 cm. When at rest, adults of most species hold their wings above their bodies like a roof. Noctuids are typically nocturnal , though some species are diurnal . Most larvae feed on plant foliage , dead leaves, lichens, and fungi; many are serious forest pests. Some species are leaf miners, others are stem- or leaf-borers, and still others feed at night on plant shoots. Noctuid moths pupate in cells in soil, in plant cavities, or in silk cocoons .

'[1]

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Protostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa () - A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda () - Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda () - Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
        Subphylum: Mandibulata () - Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata () - Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda ()
        Epiclass: Hexapoda ()
        Class: Insecta () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia ()
        Infraclass: Pterygota ()
        Cohort: Myoglossata ()
        Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera ()
        Order: Lepidoptera () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
        Infraorder: Heteroneura ()
        Superfamily: Noctuoidea ()
        Family: Noctuidae () - - Owlet Moths
        Group: Noctuinina ()
        Subfamily: Acronictinae ()
        Genus: Acronicta () - Ochsenheimer, 1816
        Specific name: lepusculina - Guenée 1852
        Scientific name: - Acronicta lepusculina Guenée 1852

Synonyms

Acronicta lepusculina Guen ée 1852 • Acronycta lepusculina Guenee 1852

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Acronicta

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 48 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. afflicta (Afflicted Dagger Moth) · A. albarufa (Barrens Dagger Moth) · A. americana (American Dagger Moth) · A. betulae (Birch Dagger Moth) · A. brumosa (Afflicted Dagger Moth) · A. clarescens (Clear Dagger Moth) · A. connecta (Connected Dagger) · A. dactylina (Alder Dagger Moth) · A. exilis (Exiled Dagger Moth) · A. falcula (Corylus Dagger Moth) · A. fragilis (Fragile Dagger) · A. funeralis (Funerary Dagger Moth) · A. furcifera (Forked Dagger) · A. grisea (Gray Dagger) · A. haesitata (Hesitant Dagger) · A. hasta (Cherry Dagger Moth) · A. hastulifera (Frosted Dagger) · A. heitzmani (Heitzman's Dagger Moth) · A. impleta (Yellow-Haired Dagger Moth) · A. impressa (Printed Dagger) · A. inclara (Unclear Dagger Moth) · A. increta (Raspberry Bud Dagger Moth) · A. innotata (Birch Dagger Moth) · A. interrupta (Interrupted Dagger Moth) · A. laetifica (Pleasant Dagger Moth) · A. lanceolaria (Noctuid Moth) · A. leporina (Miller) · A. lepusculina (Cottonwood Dagger Moth) · A. lithospila (Streaked Dagger Moth) · A. lobeliae (Greater Oak Dagger Moth) · A. marmorata (Marble Dagger Moth) · A. modica (Medium Dagger Moth) · A. morula (Ochre Dagger Moth) · A. oblinita (Smeared Dagger Moth) · A. ovata (Ovate Dagger) · A. pruni (Prunus Dagger Moth) · A. radcliffei (Radcliffe's Dagger Moth) · A. retardata (Nondescript Dagger Moth) · A. rubricoma (Ruddy Dagger Moth) · A. rumicis (Knotgrass Moth) · A. spinigera (Nondescript Dagger Moth) · A. superans (Splendid Dagger) · A. thoracica (Acronicta Thoracica) · A. tridens (Dark Dagger) · A. tristis (Acronicta Tristis) · A. tritona (Noctuid Moth) · A. vinnula (Delightful Dagger) · A. vulpina (Miller Dagger)

More Info

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Search for Pictures: images.google.com
Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

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Biological survey of the Mount Desert Region, conducted by William Procter... From the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Mount Desert Island, Maine. Philadelphia, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, 1927-1946. url p. 232.
Butterflies and moths of Newfoundland and Labrador: the macrolepidoptera / [Ottawa]: Agriculture Canada, 1980. url p. 279, p. 324.
Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein. .. [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- url p. 242.

Notes

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Contributors

Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 16, 2008:

Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey
University of Alberta Museums, University of Alberta Lepidoptera Collection

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2603460
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-261602.0
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 117344
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEYAQ070
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 156709

Footnotes

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=34&sci=Noctuidae&com=Owlet Moths, Miller Moths [back]

Last Revised: 7/16/2012