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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 » Black-waved Flannel Moth - Hodges#4644 (Megalopyge crispata)

Species Megalopyge crispata - Black-waved Flannel Moth - Hodges#4644

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
cat - Megalopyge crispata Black-waved Flannel Moth - Megalopyge crispata - male Black-waved Flannel Moth - Megalopyge crispata - male Black-waved Flannel Moth - Megalopyge crispata - male Lagoa crispata - Black-waved Flannel Moth - Megalopyge crispata - male Black-waved Flannel Moth 2 - Megalopyge crispata - male Fuzzball on bayberry - Megalopyge crispata which Megalopyge? - Megalopyge crispata - male
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Zygaenoidea (Flannel, Slug Caterpillar, Leaf Skeletonizer Moths and kin)
Family Megalopygidae (Flannel Moths)
Genus Megalopyge
Species crispata (Black-waved Flannel Moth - Hodges#4644)
Hodges Number
4644
Other Common Names
Crinkled Flannel Moth (1), White Flannel Moth (2)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Megalopyge crispata (Packard, 1864)
Lagoa crispata Packard, 1864
Phylogenetic sequence # 660058
Explanation of Names
This species was listed in the genus Lagoa in the Hodges 1983 Checklist (3). Lagoa had at times been previously treated as a synonym of Megalopyge by authors. The synonymy was revived in Becker (1995) (4). See the Megalopyge genus page for a more information.
Size
Wingspan 2.5-4 cm
Identification
Small creamy white, wavy black lines on forewing.
Sexually dimorphic. Females (thin antennae) are almost white, with subtle markings:



Males (feather-like antennae) are more strongly marked, and more yellowish:

Range
Eastern US (mostly: TX-FL-NJ-NE) - Map (MPG)
Type locality: Massachusetss
Habitat
Deciduous forests
Season
May-October
Food
Adults likely do not feed.
Larvae feed on many different trees and shrubs, see Covell. (5)
Life Cycle
Overwinter as pupa.(6)
The cocoon is unique; it's urn-shaped an has a flat, hinged, circular lid which is lifted as the moth emerges.(6)
Remarks
Caution, Hairs on caterpillar highly irritating, as in all of this family!
See Also
Megalopyge opercularis - Southern Flannel Moth .
Print References
Covell illustrates adult (imago), plate 56 #9, describes species, p. 412. (5)
Himmelman illustrates caterpillar, plate A-2 (7)
Holland illustrates this, plate 38 #23, describes, page 369. (2)
Packard, 1864. Proc. ent. Soc. Philad. 3: 335
Wagner, page 53. (8)
Wagner illustrates caterpillar, page 90. (1)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - MPG
Barcode of Life Data Systems - BOLD
Maryland Moths
BAMONA
Toxicon. The venomous hair structure, venom and life cycle of Lagoa crispata, a puss caterpillar of Oklahoma.
A Study of the Transformations and Anatomy of Lagoa Crispata
Works Cited
1.Caterpillars of Eastern Forests
David L. Wagner, Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, Michael L. McManus. 1998. U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
2.The Moth Book
W.J. Holland. 1968. Dover.
3.Check list of the Lepidoptera of America north of Mexico.
Hodges, et al. (editors). 1983. E. W. Classey, London. 284 pp.
4.The Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 2
Becker, V.O. Megalopygidae. in J.B. Heppner (ed.). in J.B. Heppner (ed.). 1995. Association for Tropical Lepidoptera and Scientific Publishers, 118-122.
5.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
6.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
7.Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard
John Himmelman. 2002. Down East Books.
8.Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press.
Contributed by Cotinis on 12 April, 2004 - 2:14pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, Beatriz Moisset, Lynette Elliott, Mike Quinn, Maury Heiman, Randy Hardy, Marci Hess
Last updated 26 August, 2023 - 1:28pm

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