Acronicta strigosa

Acronicta strigosa, the marsh dagger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed through the whole of Europe, east to the Caucasus, northern China, Korea and Japan.

Acronicta strigosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Acronicta
Species:
A. strigosa
Binomial name
Acronicta strigosa
Synonyms
  • Noctua strigosa Denis & Schiffermuller 1775
  • Phalaena Noctua favillacea Esper 1775
  • Acronicta terrigena Graeser 1892

Technical description and variation
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

A. strigosa F. (= favillacea Esp.) (3e). Forewing pale grey, tinged with ochreous; base of inner margin yellow: reniform stigma externally yellowish; a broken black streak along submedian fold. Larva velvety green, with broad redbrown dorsal band; hairs scattered and fine; dorsum humped on segment 12; like the larva of Cerura , which it resembles superficially in colour and ornamentation, it changes from green to dull purplish before spinning up; fullfed in autumn; on hawthorn, which is its only foodplant in Britain, though continental writers give sloe and Rhamnus. — ab. bryophiloides Horm. (— casparii Steinert) (3 e) is a smaller form with the forewings wholly dark grey. -- Japanese specimens are considerably larger than European and much darker; the stigmata more strongly indicated, and the black dashes thicker; they may be distinguished as adaucta subsp. nov. (3e).[2]The wingspan is approximately 32 mm.

Biology

The adults fly in June and July. They are attracted to light.

The larvae feed mainly on hawthorn and sometimes blackthorn.

Notes
  1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References
  1. Kimber, Ian (2011). "Marsh Dagger Acronicta strigosa". UK Moths. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  2. Warren. W. in Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde, Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.


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