Heitzman's Dagger

Acronicta heitzmani · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Heitzman's Dagger Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Heitzman's Dagger
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Heitzman's dagger moth has forewings that measure about 12 to 15 millimetres in length, with males slightly smaller than females. It is native to the United States, specifically recorded in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Ohio.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Forewing length ranges from 12 to 14.5 mm in males and 12.5 to 15 mm in females.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Found in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Ohio.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, Illinois, West Virginia, Iowa.

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

Heitzman's Dagger photo 2
Photo: pachips, CC BY
Heitzman's Dagger photo 3
Photo: laurawies, CC BY
Heitzman's Dagger photo 4
Photo: Christopher Zacharias, CC BY
Heitzman's Dagger photo 5
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

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_heitzmani

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

Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.

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.