Other Common Names
Slug Caterpillars (larvae)
Slug Moths (adults)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
LIMACODIDAE Duponchel, 1844
(1)Explanation of Names
Family name Limacodidae is from
Limacodes (author?), which was a genus name for a number of species in this family, but is now (apparently) no longer in use. That from
limac/limax a snail or slug, plus suffix
-odes form
(2). This clearly refers to the caterpillars.
(3)
Common name is for the caterpillars, which move with a slug-like gliding motion.
Numbers
50 species in 22 genera in North American
Identification
Adult: body stout, often hairy; wings broad, rounded, often brown or yellowish with contrasting forewing markings; head small, retracted; antennae bipectinate in male, at least in basal half; abdomen often elevated and recurved when at rest, but this posture is not unique to slug moths
Larva: body variably naked to densely hairy, usually with stinging hairs; may be green, brown, or various other colors - often bright and/or strikingly patterned; surface may be smooth, bumpy, or ridged, sometimes with spines or spine-covered fleshy protuberances giving a bizarre appearance
Food
Caterpillars feed on woody and herbaceous plants.
(4)Life Cycle
overwinters as a larva in loose oval cocoon