Lasiocampidae
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 Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum)
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The Lasiocampidae family of moths are also known as Eggar, Snout or Lappet moths. There are over 2000 species worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied.
Caterpillars of this family are large in size and are most often hairy, especially on their sides. Most have skin flaps on their prolegs and a pair of dorsal glands on their abdomen. They feed on leaves of many different trees and shrubs and often use theses same plants to camouflage their cocoons. Some species are called Tent caterpillars due to their habit of living together in nests spun of silk.
As adults, the moths in this family are large bodied with broad wings and may still have the characteristic elongated mouth parts, or have reduced mouthparts and not feed as adults. They are either diurnal or nocturnal. Females lay a large number of eggs which are flat in appearance and either smooth or slightly pitted. (In tent caterpillars, the eggs are deposited in masses and covered with a material that hardens in air.) Females are generally larger and slower than the males, but the sexes otherwise resemble each other. Moths are typically brown or grey, with hairy legs and bodies.
Their common name Snout Moths comes from their unique protruding mouth parts of some species that resemble a large nose. They have also been called Lappet Moths due to the decorative skin flaps found on the caterpillar's prolegs. The name 'Eggars' comes from the neat egg-shaped cocoons of some species.
[edit] Subfamilies
MACROMPHALIINAE
- Euglyphis lankesteri
- Larch moth Tolype laricis
- Tolype dayi
- Velleda lappet moth, or Large Tolype Tolype velleda
GASTROPACHINAE
- American Lappet moth Phyllodesma americana
- Riley's Lappet moth Heteropacha rileyana
LASIOCAMPINAE
- Eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum)
- Forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria)
- Western tent caterpillar Malacosoma californica
- Nesara casada
- Titya synoecura
[edit] References
- Fitzgerald, Terrence D.1995.The tent caterpillars. Cornell University Press. Ithaca, N.Y.
- L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz. 2003 onwards.British Insects: the Families of Lepidoptera.Version: 17th May 2005.[1]
- Maier, C.T., C.R. Lemmon, J.M. Fengler, D.F. Schweitzer, and R.C. Reardon.2004. Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States.. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team
[edit] External links
