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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Noctuoidea » Tussock Moths (Lymantriidae) » Orgyiini » Orgyia » Definite Tussock Moth - Hodges#8314 (Orgyia definita)
Photo#39597
Definite Tussock larva - Orgyia definita
Copyright © 1997 Janice Stiefel

Definite Tussock larva - Orgyia definita
Town of Baileys Harbor, Hidden Corners Sanctuary, Door County, Wisconsin, USA
August 26, 1997
Size: Unrecorded
This larva formed a cocoon and a strange-looking creature eclosed that looked like a parasite. It was recently identified as the female Orgyia definita.

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Definite Tussock larva - Orgyia definita Definite Tussock cocoon - Orgyia definita Definite Tussock female - Orgyia definita - female
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Contributed by Janice Stiefel on 23 December, 2005 - 5:10pm
Last updated 2 April, 2006 - 4:31pm

Orgyia definita
I found this girl munching on my Japanese lace-leaf maple this morning. I had never seen one before. I live slightly NE of Atlanta, GA. Does anyone know if they are common in my area?

It took a while for me to find out her identity, and when I went back outside, she was gone. I hope she didn't provide breakfast for a bird.
… MimiN, 23 May, 2006 - 10:11am login or register to post comments

 
Female Tussock
COOL! You are most fortunate to actually see the female in the wild. I only saw it once (after I reared the larva, it formed a cocoon with its hairs, and she eclosed). Fortunately, I had taken a photo of the larva, otherwise it would have been identified (from the photo) as the White-Marked Tussock (Orgyia leucostigma) by the experts. There is another species in our area, the Rusty Tussock (O. antiqua), where the female is also wingless. Who knows how many Orgyias you have in Georgia? So, without seeing the larva, I would say it would be difficult to make a positive ID. Perhaps there's an expert in your area who knows more about these moths than I do. Good luck! What a great observation on your part.
… Janice Stiefel, 23 May, 2006 - 11:43am login or register to post comments

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