American Dagger
Acronicta americana
Insecta
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- Up to 1 yr
- Size
- Medium
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Flight
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Spines
- Status
- Common
About
The American Dagger is a large North American moth whose caterpillar is unmistakable: dense pale-yellow hair tufts punctuated by long black "dagger" pencils that can cause skin irritation on contact. Adults sport pale grey forewings patterned with dark streaks and a wingspan reaching 55 mm.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
- 2.caterpillarA voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
- 3.cocoonA silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
- 4.mothA winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Noctuidae
- Genus
- Acronicta
- Species
- Acronicta americana