Numbers
6 species in North America listed at
All-Leps
several other species occur in Eurasia
Identification
Adult: forewing variably light yellowish to dark brownish with either dark or pale straight AM and PM lines; hindwing similar but usually unmarked
Range
throughout United States and southern Canada
M. americanum: eastern two-thirds of US and Canada, west to the Rockies
M. californicum: western two-thirds of US and Canada, east to Quebec
M. disstria: all of US and southern Canada
M. constricta; incurva; tigris: southwestern US
Habitat
deciduous woodlands, edges, roadsides, treed yards and gardens; adults are nocturnal and come to light
Season
larvae in spring
adults in late spring and early summer
Food
larvae feed on leaves of various broadleaf trees and shrubs (varies according to species)
Life Cycle
one generation per year; overwinters as an egg
Remarks
larvae of all species are social (gregarious), and all species except M. disstria construct silken tents within which the group rests when not feeding
Internet References
pinned adult image thumbnails of 3 widespread species (CBIF)
The Social Caterpillars overview of larval habits plus links to images and info (Terrence Fitzgerald, State University of New York at Cortland)
live larva photos of 4 western species (Terrence Fitzgerald, State University of New York at Cortland)
distribution of world species plus foodplants, synonyms, links to images, references (Markku Savela, FUNET)
Contributed by
Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by
Robin McLeodLast updated 2 January, 2007 - 4:32pm
