Acronicta albarufa
Encyclopedia
Barrens Dagger Moth is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It has a fragmented distribution that includes southern Ontario
and Manitoba
, New York
, New Jersey
, Massachusetts
, North Carolina
, Virginia
, Georgia
, Oklahoma
, Missouri
, Arkansas
, and Colorado
. It may also be present in Ohio
, Pennsylvania
, Connecticut
, mainland New York
and New Mexico
. It has been suggested that populations in the south-western United States
may be a separate species.
The larva
e feed on Bear oak, and possibly other oaks. Other recorded food plants include Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus prinoides
, post oak, Quercus prinus, and probably black oak. Larvae have been reared on black oak in captivity.
Barrens dagger moths generally occur in oak (Quercus spp.) or pine (Pinus spp.) barren communities. They are associated with pitch pine-bear oak (P. rigida-Q. ilicifolia) forest and oak scrub communities in New England and southeastern New York. On Martha's Vineyard, they may be associated with frost-bottom communities (Goldstein 1994, cited in ). They have been observed in black oak-post oak (Q. velutina-Q. stellata) woodland in New Jersey and occur in an area of the Atlantic City International Airport that has been mowed every 1 to 2 years since the 1940s. Barrens dagger moths occupy oak savannahs and oak-hickory (Carya spp.) forests in the western and southern portions of their range
Landscape-scale characteristics may have greater influence on barren dagger moth habitat quality than patch- or plot-level characteristics. Patches of remnant habitat occupied by barrens dagger moths are typically larger than 2,000 acres (1,000 ha). In models based on surveys of rare moths in a pitch pine-bear oak community in southeastern Massachusetts, barrens dagger moth was positively associated with landscapes with a high percentage of open-canopy oak scrub and negatively associated (P=0.03) with mixed hardwood-conifer forest without pitch pine at the 1,120-acre (450 ha) scale. At a smaller scale (17 acres (7 ha)), barrens dagger moth was negatively associated (P=0.02) with the dispersion and interspersion of cover types. Connectivity of habitat did not appear important in this study area, but connectivity was generally low.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It has a fragmented distribution that includes southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It may also be present in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, mainland New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It has been suggested that populations in the south-western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
may be a separate species.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Bear oak, and possibly other oaks. Other recorded food plants include Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus prinoides
Quercus prinoides
Quercus prinoides, commonly known as Dwarf Chinkapin Oak, Dwarf Chinquapin Oak, Dwarf Chestnut Oak or Scrub Chestnut Oak, is a shrubby, clone-forming oak native to eastern North America, ranging from Massachusetts to the Carolinian forest zone of southern Ontario to Minnesota, south to North...
, post oak, Quercus prinus, and probably black oak. Larvae have been reared on black oak in captivity.
Distribution and occurrence
Barrens dagger moth has a fragmented distribution that includes southern Ontario and Manitoba, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Colorado. It may be extirpated from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, mainland New York, and New Mexico. It has been suggested that populations in the southwestern United States may be a separate species. No maps of barrens dagger moth distribution were available as of 2008.Barrens dagger moths generally occur in oak (Quercus spp.) or pine (Pinus spp.) barren communities. They are associated with pitch pine-bear oak (P. rigida-Q. ilicifolia) forest and oak scrub communities in New England and southeastern New York. On Martha's Vineyard, they may be associated with frost-bottom communities (Goldstein 1994, cited in ). They have been observed in black oak-post oak (Q. velutina-Q. stellata) woodland in New Jersey and occur in an area of the Atlantic City International Airport that has been mowed every 1 to 2 years since the 1940s. Barrens dagger moths occupy oak savannahs and oak-hickory (Carya spp.) forests in the western and southern portions of their range
Life history
Barrens dagger moths are nocturnal and are typically just over an inch (3.0–3.5 cm) long. The period in which adults emerge from cocoons extends over 2 months. Adult barrens dagger moths are typically active from June to August but have been documented from late May to September in New Jersey and Missouri . Dagger moth species that occupy pine barrens can be found 1 to 2 miles (2–3 km) from suitable habitat, suggesting considerable dispersal potential . Adults generally produce one brood. However, in New Jersey and Missouri, eggs laid in mid-June may result in a partial second brood . Eggs are laid in July or August and typically take about 6 days to hatch. Larvae are present for 4 to 5 weeks in late June to September or October. If second-brood larvae occur, it may take 8 to 10 weeks for these individuals to begin pupation . Pupae are present in fall, winter, and spring. Barrens dagger moth may pupate in a flimsy cocoon in soil, although the precise location(s) of pupae is uncertain . Pupae do not seem to overwinter more than once .Preferred habitat
Barrens dagger moth habitat is often described as sandy, xeric, and open oak-dominated communities. Rare moths that occur in pitch pine-bear oak communities, including barrens dagger moth, were associated with early successional habitat patches in southeastern Massachusetts. Barrens dagger moths have not been documented in most potential habitat, despite being relatively easy to detect (see Sampling) . More detailed studies on barrens dagger moth habitat requirements are needed.Landscape-scale characteristics may have greater influence on barren dagger moth habitat quality than patch- or plot-level characteristics. Patches of remnant habitat occupied by barrens dagger moths are typically larger than 2,000 acres (1,000 ha). In models based on surveys of rare moths in a pitch pine-bear oak community in southeastern Massachusetts, barrens dagger moth was positively associated with landscapes with a high percentage of open-canopy oak scrub and negatively associated (P=0.03) with mixed hardwood-conifer forest without pitch pine at the 1,120-acre (450 ha) scale. At a smaller scale (17 acres (7 ha)), barrens dagger moth was negatively associated (P=0.02) with the dispersion and interspersion of cover types. Connectivity of habitat did not appear important in this study area, but connectivity was generally low.