''Acronicta radcliffei'', or Radcliffe's dagger moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. The species was first described by

Leon F. Harvey Leon F. Harvey (October 20, 1837 – November 19, 1912) was an American entomologist, physician, and dentist. He was a founding member of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, serving as its first treasurer and later as its president. Early ...

in 1875. It is found in eastern and southern North America. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 36–38 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August depending on the location. Recorded food plants include ash, birch, chokecherry, elm, serviceberry, sour cherry, wild black cherry and willow.

Subspecies

*''Acronicta radcliffei radcliffei'' *''Acronicta radcliffei vancouverensis''

Life cycle

File:Acronicta radcliffei caterpillar.jpg, Caterpillar File:Acronicta radcliffei pupa.jpg, Pupa File:- 9209 – Acronicta radcliffei – Radcliffe's Dagger Moth (14935764439).jpg, Adult

External links

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"''Acronicta radcliffei'' (Harvey, 1875)"
''The Lepidoptera of Wayne County, Ohio''. Retrieved November 14, 2020. Acronicta Moths of North America Moths described in 1875 Taxa named by Leon F. Harvey {{Acronictinae-stub