Other Common Names
Green Oak Caterpillar Moth
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Orig. Comb: Phalaena gibbosa J.E. Smith 1797
Explanation of Names
gibb - Latin for humped
(1)
Probably a reference to the humped throax:
Identification
Adult: Rusty color, yellow lines on forewing, pair of white dots in reniform spot.
Larva: Stout, pale green body with enlarged head and faint subdorsal stripe, and yellow-rimmed anal plate. Mandibles (jaws) bright yellow with black tips.
Range
Includes eastern North America
Habitat
Deciduous forests and edges
Season
Adults: April-October, two or three broods in southern part of range
(3)
Mature Caterpillars: May through November
(3)Food
Principally oak and other Fagaceae, but also reported from alder, birch, cherry, chestnut, maple, plum, rose and willow.
(3)Life Cycle
Assumes the following posture when threatened:
Print References
Covell, p. 330, plate 43 #14
(4)
Smith, J.E., & J. Abbot. 1797. The Natural History of the rarer lepidopterous insects of Georgia. 2 vols. J. Edwards; Cadell and Davies; J. White, London. 214 pp. 104 pl.
Internet References
live larva image plus common name reference [Green Oak Caterpillar], description, food plants, dates (David Wagner and Valerie Giles, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests, USGS)
