Acronicta funeralis, the funerary dagger moth or paddle caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1866.[1] It has a scattered distribution. It is found in North America from Manitoba to Nova Scotia, south to Maryland. It is also found in Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and along the west-coast from California to British Columbia.

Acronicta funeralis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Acronicta
Species:
A. funeralis
Binomial name
Acronicta funeralis
Grote & Robinson, 1866
Synonyms
  • Acronicta fuscalis

The wingspan is 32–40 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August depending on the location. It has two or more generations per year in the south and one or two in the north.

The larvae feed on leaves of alder, apple, birch, blueberry and huckleberry, cottonwood, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, maple, oak and willow.

Acronicta funeralis larva, advanced instar

References

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  1. ^ Savela, Markku, ed. (August 29, 2020). "Acronicta funeralis (Grote & Robinson, 1866)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
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