Moth Photographers Group – Acronicta vulpina

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Noctuidae

931427 – 9206 Acronicta vulpina (Grote, 1883)

Miller Dagger

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Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Betulaceae Salicaceae. Host genera: Alnus Betula Populus Salix. Host extended: primary host plants in Betulaceae & Salicaceae (Schmidt & Anweiler 2020). (Kimberley & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	vulpina (Grote, 1883) (Apatela) - MONA 1983: [NEW]; TL: Dorcas Bay, ON. cassinoi (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926) (Apatela); Holotype: Jenez, Springs, NM. cretatoides (Benjamin, 1935) (Apatela) leporina of authors; (not Linnaeus, 1758) (Phalaena) misappl. - MONA 1983: [9206] moesta (Dyar, 1904) (Apatela) sancta (Edwards, 1888) (Apatela)
Taxonomic Notes:	Acronicta vulpina (Grote, 1883), listed as a subspecies of Acronicta leporina (extralimital), in Hodges et al. (1983) (Checklist), is treated as a full species in Kononenko et al. (1989), Mikkola et al. (1991), and Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010).

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Barnes, W.M. & J.H. McDunnough, 1926. Notes And New Species (Lepid., Phalaenidae). The Canadian Entomologist, 58(12): 309.
Schmidt, B.C. & G.G. Anweiler, 2020. Noctuidae (Part) Pantheinae, Raphiinae, Balsinae, Acronictinae. The Moths of North America, Fascicle 25.4: 167; pl. A-11, figs. 12-16 (adult); pl. 21, fig. 3 (♂ gen.); pl. 38, fig. 8 (♀ gen.); pl. L-8, fig. 2 (larva) (order).
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum
Species Page at Mass Moths
Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths
Species Page at iNaturalist

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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