Rusty tussock moth
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 Caterpillar in Berlin, mid-August
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| Orgyia antiqua Linnaeus, 1758 |
The rusty tussock moth or vapourer moth, Orgyia antiqua, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae that was native to Europe but that is now transcontinental in distribution in the Palearctic and the Nearctic regions.[1]
There is a striking dimorphism between the male and the female moth of this species. The male moth typically have redbrown wings with each a white spot below. He has marked plumose antennae. The wingspread measures between 25 and 30 millimetres. The male flies in a zigzag pattern and is active during the day or at night.
The female moth is wingless. She mates and lays her grey-yellow eggs in large numbers on her fine-meshed cocoon. The eggs hibernate. The larvae are easily recognized by their horn-like tufts of hair-like setae. There are 4 toothbrush-like tufts along the back, and hair pencils that project from the sides at the front and at the back. The body is black, and there are red tubercules along the sides and back. They have defensive glands at the back, and wipe their setae against them to charge them with toxins (Wagner 2005) They grow to about 30 mm. They are polyphagous and feed on a wide range of host plants such as Salix, Prunus, Crataegus and Rubus.
The adult moths don't feed and are therefore granted only a short life. The two generations fly from May till October; in North America there is only one generation a year (Wagner 2005).
 A rusty tussock moth caterpillar showing the four clumps of yellow tussock hairs on its back |
 Rusty tussock moth (male) |
[edit] Note
[edit] Reference
- Wagner, DM. 2005. Caterpillars of eastern North America. Princeton University Press.
