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Species Leucoma salicis - Satin Moth - Hodges#8319

Satin Moth with Eggs - Leucoma salicis - female Beautiful Caterpiller - Leucoma salicis cottonwood caterpillar - Leucoma salicis Erebidae: Leucoma salicis - Leucoma salicis - male Small hairy caterpillar - Leucoma salicis Leucoma salicis Leucoma salicis - male Satin Moth - Leucoma salicis
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)
Family Erebidae
Subfamily Lymantriinae (Tussock Moths)
Tribe Leucomini
Genus Leucoma
Species salicis (Satin Moth - Hodges#8319)
Hodges Number
8319
Size
Larva to 4.5 cm
Identification
Caterpillar: "Dorsum marked with 10-11 white, intersegmental white spots and paired red setal warts on T1-A9", head black, sides blue-gray. (1)

Pupa: shiny dark brown with erect yellow setae (hairs)


Range
Canada and northeastern US. Bugguide reports it from western states and provinces, too.
Introduced from Europe in 1920.
Food
Caterpillars eat aspen, poplar (both Populus spp.) and willow (Salix)
Life Cycle
Overwinters as third instar under bark. Goes through seven instars before pupating in a thin cocoon between leaves or on bark.
Remarks
A braconid wasp, Apanteles solitarius, was introduced into New England in 1927. It is established and parasitization has been as high as 67%. These overwinter in the moth larva or as a prepupal larva in the moth's cocoon. Two separate broods emerge, each producing a 2nd generation during the summer.(2)
Telenomus californicus is a wasp in the Scelionidae family that parasitizes this moth.(2)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group (MPG)
Pacific Northwest Moths
BOLD
Wikipedia
ubc.ca
UK Moths
Invasive.org
Works Cited
1.Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press.
2.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
Contributed by Lynette Elliott on 11 August, 2005 - 7:29am
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, Tony-2, John Davis, Marci Hess, Steve Morris
Last updated 5 September, 2023 - 9:59am

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