Species Tolype velleda - Large Tolype - Hodges#7670

7670

Velleda Lappet Moth

velleda: perhaps from the Latin "velum" (a veil)

Wingspan 32-58 mm (1); male considerably smaller than female

Adult: male forewing has whitish veins and broad dark gray subterminal band, fairly straight, and lacking alternating pinched and expanded sections; PM line whitish; basal half of wing slightly paler gray, with whitish AM line; hindwing dark gray, with or without whitish median band; female has similar markings but is paler overall, and less contrasting than male; male antennae pectinate, wider in basal half; female antennae simple

Larva: body grayish with long hairs on lateral fleshy lappets; top of third thoracic segment has enlarged brown or reddish-orange knobs; when alarmed, exposes dorsal black band from fold behind warts

[adapted from description by David Wagner and Valerie Giles]

Nova Scotia to central Florida, west to Texas, north to Ontario

adults fly July-September

larvae present from June to August

Larvae feed on leaves of a variety of broadleaf trees and shrubs. Wagner (2) lists "apple, ash, aspen, basswood, beech, birch, cherry, oak and other woody plants."

one generation per year

Small Tolype (Tolype notialis) is slightly smaller, usually darker, and forewing subterminal band is wavier, with alternating pinched and expanded sections.

Larch Tolype (Tolype laricis) is much smaller, darker, and has a more northern distribution [doesn't occur in southern United States]

several other Tolype species occur in the southwest and in western Canada (compare images of 4 species from Arizona by Bruce Walsh, and see thumbnail images of 4 species from Canada at CBIF)

Caterpillars of three other eastern Tolype species have yellow and orange spots on the black intersegmental bar, and feed on leaves of coniferous trees.

Covell p. 53, plate 8 (1)

Wagner, p. 23--photo of larva (3)

pinned adult images of male and female plus foodplants (Dale Clark, Texas)

pinned adult image of male plus photos of 8 related species by Jim Vargo (Moth Photographers Group)

pinned adult images of male [top] and female (CBIF)

pinned adult images of male [top] and female (James Adams, Dalton State College, Georgia)

live adult image and date (John Himmelman, Connecticut)

live adult images and dates (Larry Line, Maryland)

live larva image plus description, foodplants, seasonality, biology (David Wagner and Valerie Giles, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests, USGS)

presence in Florida; list (John Heppner, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)

distribution in Canada list of provinces (CBIF)