Epauleted Oak Dagger

Acronicta ovata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Ovate Dagger, Ovate Dagger Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Epauleted Oak Dagger
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY

The ovate dagger moth (Acronicta ovata) is a noctuid moth found across eastern Canada and the United States. Its wingspan is 28 to 35 mm and adults are on the wing from May to September, with two or more generations each year.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Acronicta ovata, called the ovate dagger moth, belongs to the family Noctuidae.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The moth’s wingspan measures roughly 28 to 35 millimetres.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It occurs from Nova Scotia south to North Carolina, west to Texas and north to Manitoba.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

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

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range spans the same region across eastern Canada and the United States.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Alabama, Ohio, Connecticut, Arkansas.

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

Source: GBIF

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

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Epauleted Oak Dagger photo 2
Photo: John P Friel, CC BY
Epauleted Oak Dagger photo 3
Photo: John P Friel, CC BY
Epauleted Oak Dagger photo 4
Photo: Claire Herzog, CC BY
Epauleted Oak Dagger photo 5
Photo: John P Friel, CC BY

Questions people ask

When are adult moths active?

Adults fly from May to September, with timing varying by region.

Source: Wikipedia

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_ovata

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.