Lanceolate Dagger Moth (Acronicta lanceolaria)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Noctuoidea
Family	Noctuidae
Subfamily	Acronictinae
Genus	Acronicta

Scientific Name

Acronicta lanceolaria

Common Name

Noctuid moth

Maier, C.T.; Lemmon, C.R.; Fengler, J.M.; Schweitzer, D.F.; Reardon, R.C.; Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. FHTET-2004-01. March 2004. 151 p.

Description

Light green body with black dorsum and with pale hairs on tubercles. Mostly green head. Broad black stripe on dorsum between uppermost rows of tubercles; tubercles aligned in five rows and clothed with many white hairs. Dashed, black supraspiracular and spiracular stripes; black spiracles; yellow band on hind margin of segments. Up to 35 mm.

Food

Many woody shrubs; uncommonly eastern larch, pines, and possibly other conifers.

Life Cycle

One generation. Pupa overwinters in soil or debris. Mature caterpillar present in June and July.

Comments

Ives and Wong (1988) have illustrated a western variety of this caterpillar with mostly yellow hair. Although this species is widespread in the East, its adults are rare in collections.