Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Acronicta Members:
154 NC Records

Acronicta retardata (Walker, 1861) - Retarded Dagger

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931470.00 MONA Number: 9251.00
Comments: One of 74 species in this genus found in North America north of Mexico (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020), 42 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Acronicta retardata was included in the Modica Species Group (Group IV) by Forbes (1954) but has been placed in a separate, monotypic subgenus, Dossena, by Schmidt and Anweiler (2020), based on distinctive larval and male reproductive characters.
Species Status: Also known as the Maple Dagger.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner et al. (2011); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A small, gray Dagger with few distinctive markings. The ground color is light to medium gray and lacks the greenish, brownish, or reddish shadings found in the increta group, which otherwise look similar (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020). A small, blackish triangular spot located at the junction between the basal dash and antemedian line is the most distinctive marking.
Wingspan: 2.5 - 3.2 cm (Covell, 1984)
Forewing Length: 13.3 mm, males; 13.8 mm, females (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020)
Adult Structural Features: Male reproductive structures are highly distinctive (see Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020, for a description and illustrations).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are distinctive among Acronicta species but similar to those of Alypia and may be mimics of that species (Wagner et al., 2011). The body is transversely banded with black and pale gray and possessing protuberant orange pinnacula and long white setae.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably found statewide but with few records from the high mountains and none from the barrier islands
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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