Orgyia leucostigma

White-marked tussock moth
Adult
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lymantriidae
Genus: Orgyia
Species: O. leucostigma
Binomial name
Orgyia leucostigma
(JE Smith, 1797)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena leucostigma Smith, 1797
  • Hemerocampa leucostigma
  • Cladophora leucographa Geyer, 1832
  • Acyphas plagiata Walker, 1855
  • Orgyia wardi Riotte, 1971
  • Orgyia oslari Barnes, 1900
  • Orgyia libera Strecker, 1900

The white-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma) is a moth in the family Lymantriidae. The caterpillar is very common especially in late summer in eastern North America, extending as far west as Texas, Colorado, and Alberta.

Lifecycle

Two or more generations occur per year in eastern North America.[1] They overwinter in the egg stage.

Eggs

Eggs are laid in a single mass over the cocoon of the female, and covered in a froth.[1] Up to 300 eggs are laid at a time.

Larvae

The larvae are brightly coloured, with tufts of hair-like setae. The head is bright red and the body has yellow or white stripes, with a black stripe along the middle of the back. Bright red defensive glands are seen on the hind end of the back. Four white toothbrush-like tufts stand out from the back, and a grey-brown hair pencil is at the hind end. Touching the hairs sets off an allergic reaction in many humans.[1] Young larvae skeletonize the surface of the leaf, while older larvae eat everything except the larger veins.[2] They grow to about 35 mm long.

Pupae

The caterpillars spin a grayish cocoon in bark crevices and incorporate setae in it.[2] The moths emerge after 2 weeks.

Caterpillar in Michigan (June)

Adults

The females have reduced wings and do not leave the vicinity of the cocoon. The males are grey with wavy black lines and a white spot on the forewings (the vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, is similar but is a rusty colour.) The antennae are very feathery. Moths are found from June to October.

Host plants

The caterpillars may be found feeding on an extremely wide variety of trees, both deciduous and coniferous, including apple, birch, black locust, cherry, elm, fir, hackberry, hemlock, hickory, larch, oak, rose, spruce, chestnut, and willow.[1] Defoliating outbreaks are occasionally reported especially on Manitoba maple and elm in urban areas.[2] Outbreaks are usually ended by viral disease.

Ecology

The fungus Entomophaga maimaiga was introduced to North America to control the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar. The fungus also infects O. leucostigma[3] and could possibly have an impact in years when E. maimaiga is abundant. Large larvae are mostly attacked by birds, and small larvae mostly disappear during dispersal.[4]

Subspecies

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Wagner, DM. (2005). Caterpillars of eastern North America. Princeton University Press.
  2. 1 2 3 Rose, AH and OH Lindquist. (1982). Insects of eastern hardwood trees. Canadian Forestry Service, Forestry Tech Rep 29. Government of Canada, Ottawa. ISBN 0-660-11205-1.
  3. ↑ Hajek AE, Strazanac JS, Wheeler MM, Vermeylen FM, Butler L. (2004). Persistence of the fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga and its impact on native Lymantriidae. Biological Control 30(2):466–473.
  4. ↑ Medina RF, Barbosa P. (2002). Predation of small and large Orgyia leucostigma (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera : Lymantriidae) larvae by vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Environmental Entomology 31: 1097–1102.
External identifiers for Orgyia leucostigma
Encyclopedia of Life 2684210
Also found in: Wikispecies
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