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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Owlet Moths and kin (Noctuoidea) » Prominent Moths (Notodontidae) » Nystaleinae » Symmerista » Red-humped Oakworm - Hodges#7952 (Symmerista canicosta)

Species Symmerista canicosta - Red-humped Oakworm - Hodges#7952

Classification · Hodges Number · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Red-humped Oakworm - Symmerista canicosta

Parasite on Symmerista canicosta - Symmerista canicosta

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 Noctuoidea (Owlet Moths and kin)

Family Notodontidae (Prominent Moths)

Subfamily Nystaleinae

Genus Symmerista

Species canicosta (Red-humped Oakworm - Hodges#7952)

Hodges Number

7952

Identification

Caterpillar: "Bright orange head and black, yellow, orange and white pinstriping distinguish our Symmerista. Dorsum ...with five narrow black stripes separated by four white stripes. Integument smooth and shiny. A8 raised, orange."(1)

comparison of albifrons, canicosta and leucitys - 8th sternite

comparison of genitalia dissection - in albifrons, apex of the large bilobed process greatly exceeds the apex of the small simple process whereas in leucitys the two apexes are subequal

Range

Southern Canada to N. and S. Carolina and Mississippi

Season

Mature caterpillars in August and September in Northeast, caterpillars May to October in Southeast (two generations)

Food

Beech, chestnut and oak

Life Cycle

Caterpillars feed gregariously until perhaps the final instar.

Remarks

Larvae may be indistinguishable from S. albifrons, which overlaps the range of this one but has a more southerly distribution.(1)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group (MPG)

Barcode of Life (BOLD)

Works Cited

1.	Caterpillars of Eastern North America David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press.

Contributed by Tony on 14 November, 2005 - 9:47am
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, JoAnneRusso, Robert H. Biagi, Steve Morris
Last updated 12 December, 2023 - 7:29pm

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