The Dagger and the Miller – Moths of the Moment

The Miller and the Dagger moths are ostensibly very similar. Triangular, noctuid (owlet) moths with grey wings with black markings. In th my picture the Dagger is the upper moth. It’s very, very difficult to know with out gen det (genital dissection), larval history, or DNA analysis whether its one of two species – Dark (Acronicta tridens) or Grey Dagger (A. psi). The Miller (A. leporina) is very similar although markedly different when looked at closely. Top: The Dagger at the Edge of Night Bottom: The Leveret at the Edge of Night It’s interesting to note that in the Daggers’ scientific names, they’re either a trident or the Greek letter psi, representing the little black “daggers” that mark their wings. Acronicta, might loosely translate as “the edge of night” or in some ways it could be “the sharp tip, or spike, of the night”. Although given that The Miller lacks the spikes, I’d opt for the edge of night translation for this genus. The Miller’s scientific name, A. leporina, is that…