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The forest tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma disstria) is a moth found throughout North America, especially in the eastern regions. Unlike related tent caterpillar species, the larvae of forest tent caterpillars do not make tents, but rather, weave a silky sheet where they lie together during molting .
Larvae feed on leaves, often defoliating affected branches. Pacific tent caterpillars spin rudimentary tents that can be up to 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. The larvae feed in groups outside the tent, entering it only to molt. [2] Pacific tent caterpillars have speckles on the sides, orange hairs on top and grayish or cream colored hairs on the sides.
Immediately after feeding the caterpillars return to the tent and aggregate in sunlight to facilitate the digestive process. Thus, eastern tent caterpillars are central place foragers. In contrast, the forest tent caterpillar is a nomadic forager that establishes a series of temporary resting sites during the course of its larval development.
In tent caterpillars, the eggs are deposited in masses and covered with a material that hardens in air. Females are generally larger and slower than the males, but the sexes otherwise resemble each other. Moths are typically brown or grey, with hairy legs and bodies. A family of moths mostly of large size.
It is currently peak season for the puss caterpillars, and even though they usually live at a safe distance high up on tree branches, reports of people being stung are on the rise. The one-inch ...
The eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars or lappet moths. It is univoltine , producing one generation per year. It is a tent caterpillar , a social species that forms communal nests in the branches of trees.
Malacosoma californicum, the western tent caterpillar, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae. It is a tent caterpillar. The Western Tent Caterpillar is found in southern Canada, the western United States, and parts of northern Mexico. There are currently six recognized subspecies of M. californicum. [1]
The moths pose an increasing nuisance to humans as their range is extended. [6] The backs of older caterpillars (3rd to 6th instars ) are covered with up to 63,000 pointed defensive bristles, [ citation needed ] sized between 0.2 and 0.3 millimeters, which contain an urticating toxin, the protein thaumetopoein . [ 7 ]