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Species Spilosoma vestalis - Vestal Tiger Moth - Hodges#8135

S. vestalis from Mt. Diablo - Spilosoma vestalis - male 8135 Vestal Tiger Moth - Spilosoma vestalis - Spilosoma vestalis - male white moth - Spilosoma vestalis - female Spilosoma vestalis, Vestal Tiger Moth - Spilosoma vestalis - male I believe this is a specimen of vestal tiger moth, Spilosoma vestalis in Southern California - Spilosoma vestalis Spilosoma vestalis? - Spilosoma vestalis Spilosoma vestalis? - Spilosoma vestalis Vestal Tiger Moth - Spilosoma vestalis
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 Erebidae
Subfamily Arctiinae (Tiger and Lichen Moths)
Tribe Arctiini (Tiger Moths)
Subtribe Spilosomina
Genus Spilosoma
Species vestalis (Vestal Tiger Moth - Hodges#8135)
Hodges Number
8135
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Spilosoma vestalis Packard, 1864 (125)
Phylogenetic sequence # 930312
Size
Forewing length 16-24 mm. (Powell & Opler)(1)
Forewing length 19-26 mm. (Pacific Northwest Moths) (2)
Identification
Original description online: (125)
Wings pure white, usually with several scattered tiny black dots; inner surface of front leg femur with pink or reddish hairs; head and thorax white, hairy.
Range
Washington to California(3) and Baja California.(1)
Moth Photographers Group - large map with some distribution data.
Season
Most California records of adults are from January to August. (4)
May to June for Oregon and Washington. (4)
Food
Larvae feed on leaves of various flowering trees, particularly oak (Quercus spp.)
See Also
Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea), Spilosoma congrua, and S. virginica are similar but do not have pink or reddish hair on inner surface of foreleg femur (see pinned adult images).
Pink-legged Tiger Moth (S. latipennis) is similar, and has pink or reddish hair on inner surface of foreleg femur, but only occurs in the east.
Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis; Lymantriidae) has pale yellow on thorax, base of forewing, and along costa, and has black rings on its legs.
Print References
Packard, 1864. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Philadelphia. vol. 3, p. (125)
Powell, J.A., & P.A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. pl. 47.28; p. 270.(1)