#2573 · 🦋 butterflies & moths
Poplar Grey
🇳🇱 Schilddrager ·Acronicta megacephala
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Koos Uys · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © sabine-g · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Michał Brzeziński · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Nikolai Vladimirov · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Jaakko J. Ilvonen · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. © Michał Brzeziński · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © Michał Brzeziński · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. © lastovka · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The poplar grey ( Acronicta megacephala ) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 139 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 5,209 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Michael Denis in 1775 (251 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Poplar Grey
- Nederlands
- Schilddrager
- scientific name
- Acronicta megacephala
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Lepidoptera
- family
- Noctuidae
- sightings in NL
- 139
- sightings in Europe
- 4,222
- sightings worldwide
- 5,209
- GBIF records in NL
- 12,676
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1775 by Michael Denis
relatives· Noctuidae
#2388 📷 7Large Yellow Underwing
🇳🇱 Huismoeder
Noctua pronuba
👀 3.2k in NL
#2396 📷 10Silver Υ
🇳🇱 Gamma-uil
Autographa gamma
👀 1.7k in NL
#2414 📷 10Setaceous Hebrew Character
🇳🇱 Zwarte-c-uil
Xestia c-nigrum
👀 704 in NL
#2423 📷 10Flounced Rustic
🇳🇱 Gewone grasuil
Luperina testacea
👀 605 in NL
#2428 📷 10Lesser Yellow Underwing
🇳🇱 Volgeling
Noctua comes
👀 578 in NL
#2429 📷 9Knot Grass Moth
🇳🇱 Zuringuil
Acronicta rumicis
👀 538 in NL
#2439 📷 10Square-spot Rustic
🇳🇱 Vierkantvlekuil
Xestia xanthographa
👀 483 in NL
#2440 📷 10Flame Shoulder Moth
🇳🇱 Haarbos
Ochropleura plecta
👀 455 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 357477, Wikidata Q617688, GBIF 1782777, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.