Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
 
Photos from the gathering
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Noctuoidea » Tiger Moths (Arctiidae) » Tiger Moths (Arctiinae) » Phaegopterini » Euchaetes » Milkweed Tussock Moth - Hodges#8238 (Euchaetes egle)

Species Euchaetes egle - Milkweed Tussock Moth - Hodges#8238

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Milkweed Tussuck Moth - Euchaetes egle Tiger Moth? - Euchaetes egle Milkweed Tiger Moth Caterpillars? - Euchaetes egle Milkweed Tussock Moth - Euchaetes egle Caterpilars - Euchaetes egle Milkweed Tussock Moth - Euchaetes egle Punk rock Arctiid larva! - Euchaetes egle Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar? - Euchaetes egle
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
No Taxon (Moths)
Superfamily Noctuoidea
Family Arctiidae (Tiger Moths)
Subfamily Arctiinae (Tiger Moths)
Tribe Phaegopterini
Genus Euchaetes
Species egle (Milkweed Tussock Moth - Hodges#8238)
Hodges Number
8238
Other Common Names
Milkweed Tiger Moth, Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar (larva), Harlequin Caterpillar (larva)
Explanation of Names
Author of species is Drury 1773, as Phalaena egle, presumably. The origin of the species name is not clear. Egle is a character in a Lithuanian folk tale, but it is also a surname. (Based on Internet searches.)
Size
Wingspan 32-43 mm (1)
Identification
Wings usually unmarked gray, abdomen yellow with black spots.
Range
eastern half of US plus Quebec and Ontario
Habitat
Fields, edges, etc. with host plant
Season
Adult: May-September (two flights in much of range). Caterpillars found starting in June (2).
Life Cycle
Larvae feed on milkweed, Asclepias species. Adults sometimes found on hostplant during day (1). Females lay eggs in "rafts" and caterpillars are gregarious during instars 1-3, solitary in later instars, when marked with bright tufts. May defoliate patches of milkweed (2) (3).
Print References
Covell, p. 74, plate 12 #17 (1)
Wagner, p. 474--photos of larva and adult (2)
Rea, p. 65 (3)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group specimens
Works Cited
1.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
By Charles V. Covell
2.Caterpillars of Eastern North America
By David L. Wagner
3.Milkweed, Monarchs and More: A Field Guide to the Invertebrate Community in the Milkweed Patch
By Ba Rea, Karen Oberhauser, Michael Quinn
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Robin McLeod, anitagould
Last updated 17 July, 2007 - 4:42am

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 © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact