Splendid Dagger

Acronicta superans · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Splendid Dagger Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Splendid Dagger
Photo: christine123, CC BY

The adult moth has a wingspan of about four centimeters. Adults are active from late spring through summer, roughly May to August.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The wingspan measures roughly 40 to 45 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from May through August, depending on location.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Splendid Dagger photo 2
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY
Splendid Dagger photo 3
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0
Splendid Dagger photo 4
Photo: Laura Mae, CC BY
Splendid Dagger photo 5
Photo: Teá Montagna, CC BY

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronicta_superans

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.