Great Tiger Moth - Arctia

Arctia

According to my sources, Arctia caja has white spiracles, Platarctia parthenos has brown ones.

… DeeDee, 7 February, 2015 - 4:41pm

Moved

Moved from Arctiini.

… tom murray, 27 October, 2009 - 5:13pm

Moved

Moved from Butterflies and Moths.

… tom murray, 26 October, 2009 - 7:22am

id say

its one or the other..how on earth do you find all this stuff..you must have eyes of an eagle!

… Edna Woodward, 19 September, 2009 - 8:42pm

Arctiini

Can be moved to Arctiini, because both possibilities are in that tribe.

… roar, 24 October, 2009 - 5:17pm

In the field a lot

and using different collecting methods. Lately I've been putting a white sheet under a branch and shaking the caterpillars out onto the sheet. This big tiger moth was curled up in the middle of a trail in the woods I was on, and I was lucky not to step on it.

… tom murray, 19 September, 2009 - 9:31pm

What is the tree?

Great tiger moths eat alder, apple, cherry, poplars, willows, and other plants.(1)
St. Lawrence tiger moths eat alder, birches, lettuce, willows, and other plants.(1)

I don't know if that would help, but it might. My guess would be a Great Tiger Moth.

… roar, 27 October, 2009 - 4:02pm

Not on a tree

I found it on a dirt path in the woods, and placed it on a leaf to photograph it.
I'm thinking Great Tiger Moth too, but it's the first of either that I've ever found.

… tom murray, 27 October, 2009 - 4:14pm

Ahhhh...

I thought you used the branch shaking technique on this caterpillar. Now I get it.

I don't think the photos of Arctia caja on BugGuide represent that species very well. Most photos are different that ours, and that is more what yours looks like.

St. Lawrence tiger moth caterpillars do not appear to have the same texture as a Great Tiger Moth. My final vote goes to Arctia caja.

Compare:

… roar, 27 October, 2009 - 4:45pm

Is it too late for more input?

I found a caterpillar this past July 12 -

. It cocooned and turned into this moth on August 15 -

. :-P)

… Phil Huntley-Franck, 17 December, 2010 - 10:40pm

incorrect

The first image shown is not Platarctia parthenos.

… roar, 24 November, 2009 - 4:29pm

Does that mean

this image should be moved, or just the other image with the spikey hairs?

… tom murray, 24 November, 2009 - 4:37pm