Megalopyge sp. - Megalopyge - BugGuide.Net

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Flannel, Slug Caterpillar, Leaf Skeletonizer Moths and kin (Zygaenoidea) » Flannel Moths (Megalopygidae) » Megalopyge

Photo#332329

Copyright © 2009 Rich Kelly

Megalopyge sp. - Megalopyge

Napeague, Suffolk County, New York, USA
September 12, 2009
Size: 20 mm

Found on a Bayberry at the edge of a saltmarsh.
Is this possibly a Black-waved Flannel Moth?

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Rich Kelly on 13 September, 2009 - 9:18am
Last updated 16 May, 2018 - 11:53am

Moved

Moved from Flannel Moths.

… Steve Nanz, 16 May, 2018 - 8:21am

login or register to post comments

ok, thanks.

ok, thanks.

… Rich Kelly, 16 May, 2018 - 11:49am

login or register to post comments

Moved

Moved from Megalopyge.

… john and jane balaban, 30 April, 2014 - 5:02pm

login or register to post comments

Moved

Moved from Butterflies and Moths.

… Rich Kelly, 28 December, 2010 - 8:26am

login or register to post comments

Flannel moth caterpillar

I suspect that this is Megalopyge crispata, although I am not qualified to make a definitive identification. I base my speculation on the white coloration in conjunction with the size that suggests to me that it is nearing pupation (which would also explain the plumpness of the specimen). Most other species of flannel moth become more gray or tan as they grow, but can be this white in their early instars. The lumpiness of this caterpillar reminds me of the specimen illustrated by one of the earliest examiners of Lepidoptera life cycles, Maria Sibylla Merian, who included an image of a Flannel moth caterpillar in her book of insects from Surinam in the early 1700s. I had always thought it was just a hard insect to illustrate, but perhaps it was more true to life that I’d given her credit for.

… John Carlson, 27 December, 2010 - 8:58pm

login or register to post comments

Thanks for your help. I move

Thanks for your help. I moved it to just the genus level.
Very interesting coincidence about Maria Sibylla Merian. I just got a copy of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities as a birthday present. Right there on Page 19 is reference to her trip to Surinam. I read that about 5 days ago.

… Rich Kelly, 28 December, 2010 - 8:33am

login or register to post comments

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Charley Eiseman, 7 October, 2009 - 10:54am

login or register to post comments

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version

Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact