Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLimacodidae Members: Phobetron Members: 67 NC Records

Phobetron pithecium (J.E. Smith, 1797) - Hag Moth

Phobetron pithecium
view caption 		Phobetron pithecium
view caption 		Phobetron pitheciumPhobetron pithecium
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Zygaenoidea		 Family:
Limacodidae		P3 Number:
57a0071		 MONA Number:
4677.00		 Other Common Name:
Monkey Slug
Comments: Phobetron pithecium is one of two members of the genus that occur in North America and the only one that occurs in the eastern U.S.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Dyars (1896); Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The females have a dark brown to brownish-yellow thorax, abdomen, and legs, with shiny black forewings that bear a band of cream-edged, gray or brown semi-translucent ovals running through the median area, and similar markings between the median area and the base. In fresh condition there is a pair of thin, iridescent, silvery-blue, sub-terminal lines which stand out against the dark forewings. These pale blue scales are also scattered across the rest of the forewings and thorax. Males are similar in appearance but have slightly narrower and more attenuated forewings which are more extensively translucent. Both sexes possess an obvious and distinctive white or cream-colored tuft on the tibia of the middle legs. In worn condition, identification of this species is more challenging as it can look like any number of small, dark moths, such as Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, although that species is larger, its body shape is longer, and it has completely clear wings. The length from the tip of head to the apex of the forewing at rest averages 13 mm (n = 3).
Wingspan: 20 mm for males and 25 mm for females (Forbes, 1923)
Adult Structural Features: The male antenna is pectinate at the base but simple at the tip. The palps do not reach the vertex and the head is strongly retracted. Each hind tibia has two pairs of spurs, but the upper ones are weak (Forbes, 1923).
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are polyphagous and prefer trees and shrubs with smooth leaves. Dyars (1896) studied populations in New York and documented nine instars. The females typically lay their eggs singly and they hatch in about 10 days. The larvae feed on the undersides of leaves, except for the final instar that feeds on the upper surface of the leaf. Populations that Dyars (1896) studied were single-brooded, with the larval stage lasting about two months and the last instar larvae growing to 13.5-22 mm in length. The final instar sheds its fleshy appendages prior to spinning a tough, fibrous, brownish cocoon on the ground. The shed tubercles are incorporated into the cocoon. Overwintering occurs in the prepupal stage and pupation occurs following the spring leaf-out.

The early instars develop fleshy appendages along the sides of the body that are covered with setae. These are initially similar in length, but by the mid-stages differ in length, with those on three segments becoming markedly longer than those on adjoining segments. The last instars are unmistakable, with the caterpillar having six pairs of thick arm-like appendages, three of which are very elongated and curved. The body varies from tan to purplish-brown and is covered by dense, hair-like, brown or gray setae. The caterpillars have urticating hairs and spines with chemicals that can deliver a painful sting and cause contact dermatitis (Diaz, 2005). The symptoms resolve rapidly compared to some members of the Limacodidae. This species is sometimes referred to as the Monkey Slug Moth.
Larvae ID Requirements: Unmistakable and widely known.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Phobetron pithecium is found throughout most of the eastern US and in adjacent areas of southern Canada (Ontario; Quebec). In the US the range extends from Maine to southern Florida, and westward to central Texas, central Oklahoma, eastern Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota. This species occurs essentially statewide in North Carolina, but is uncommon in the Coastal Plain and apparently absent from the highest elevations in the Blue Ridge.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Phobetron pitheciumAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.