Acronicta dactylina
Encyclopedia
The Fingered Dagger Moth or Alder Dagger (Acronicta dactylina) is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from Newfoundland
west to the Pacific coast and Vancouver Island
, south to North Carolina
and Colorado
.
Acronicta hesperida was formerly considered to be a separate species, but is now considered a synonym.
The wingspan
is 45–55 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July in one generation depending on the location.
The larvae feed on alder, birch, poplar, hawthorn and willow.
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 is found from Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
west to the Pacific coast and Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, south to 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...
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...
.
Acronicta hesperida was formerly considered to be a separate species, but is now considered a synonym.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 45–55 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July in one generation depending on the location.
The larvae feed on alder, birch, poplar, hawthorn and willow.