Moths of North Carolina

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Isa textula (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854) - Crowned Slug Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Zygaenoidea

Family:
Limacodidae

P3 Number:
57a0080

MONA Number:
4681.00

Comments: This is one of only two representatives of this genus in North America and the only one to occur in the East.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005)

Adult Markings: Isa textula lacks any conspicuous markings on the body or wings. The head, thorax, and abdomen vary from light reddish-tan or reddish-orange to reddish-brown and tend to be lighter colored that the forewings. The forewing varies from pale orange to dark reddish-brown and has subtle, textured bands of silvery gray scaling that gives it a unique, velvety appearance. The hindwing is concolorous with the forewing. The length from the tip of the head to the apex of the forewing at rest averages 10.5 mm (n = 8). This species has a conspicuous hump-backed shape when resting, with the head projecting downward towards the substrate.

Wingspan: 20 mm (Forbes, 1923)

Adult Structural Features: The male antenna is broadly pectinate to the apex, and the palps are truncate and only extend to the middle of the face. The hind tibia has only a single pair of spurs (Forbes, 1923).

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Dyar (1896) studied the life cycle of I. textula in New York where the populations are single-brooded. The females lay their eggs singly on the undersides of leaves during July in New York. The first instar molts before feeding and the larvae feed on the undersides of leaves throughout the entire larval period. They pass through eight or nine instars, with the final instar ranging from 12.5-18.5 mm in length. After completing the feeding stage, the larva drops to the ground and spins a dense, dark brown, fibrous cocoon during September. Larvae in more southern populations typically remain active well into the autumn months and are often found feeding when the leaves are obtaining their fall colors. Larvae in North Carolina are commonly seen well into November and as late as early December. The larvae enter diapause shortly after spinning their cocoons, then pupate the following spring.

The late-instar larvae have highly flattened, oval, pale green bodies with conspicuous, finely tapering, greenish lobes around almost all of the perimeter of the body. The lobes bear numerous stinging spines that protrude outward from their perimeters. The anteriormost region has two horn-like structures and greatly reduced lobes, and is often edged with rusty brown coloration. The mid-dorsal region has two pale yellow longitudinal lines that run the entire length of the body, and the posterior half of the lines usually have two red spots that are bordered with yellow to yellowish white laterally (Dyar, 1896; Wagner, 2005). The larvae can deliver a mild to severe sting and cause dermatitis (Villas-Boas et al., 2016), so handle them with care.

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Isa textula occurs throughout most of the eastern US and in adjoining areas of Ontario and Quebec. In the US the range extends from Maine southward to southern Florida, and westward to central Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, eastern Kansas, Illinois and Wisconsin. This species occurs statewide in North Carolina, from the barrier islands to the higher elevations in the Blue Ridge.

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: The adults fly year-round in Florida, and mostly from March through November in other southern populations. Farther north, the flight season is largely restricted to May through October. As of 2023, our records extend from late-April though mid-August, with two late-season records from late-October and early November. Most populations in North Carolina appear to be univoltine.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Our records all come from stands of hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forests, as well as wooded residential neighborhoods. Local populations can be found in habitats that encompass a wide range of moisture regimes and soil pH. Examples of the diverse habitats that are used by this species include maritime forests, sandhill communities, brown-water river bottomlands, lakeshores, mesic to drier Piedmont forests, and rich mesic slopes in the Blue Ridge that support northern hardwoods.

Larval Host Plants: The larvae are polyphagous and feed on a variety of deciduous trees (Wagner, 2005; Heppner, 2007; Lill, 2008, Robinson et al., 2010; Murphy et al, 2011; Beadle and Leckie, 2012; Marquis et al., 2019). They appear to only rarely use shrubs. The reported hosts include Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), Pignut hickory (Carya glabra), Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) and other chestnuts, American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Common Waxmyrtle (Morella cerifera), Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), American Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium), Black Cherry (P. serotina), White Oak (Quercus alba), Black Oak (Q. velutina), Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), Willow Oak (Q. phellos), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), American Basswood (Tilia americana), and elms (Ulmus). In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded on Black Cherry, White Oak, Willow Oak (Quercus phellos), Winged Elm (Ulmus alata), ash (Fraxinus), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), and American Beech. - View

Observation Methods: The adults are attracted to lights, but do not come to bait or visit flowers.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 [S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it in state parks and on other public lands.

Comments: This species is common statewide and occupies a wide range of habitat types. It uses numerous host plants that are common, and appears to be secure within the state.

Photo Gallery for Isa textula - Crowned Slug Moth

126 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-27 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-09-14 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-09-14 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2025-09-13 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2025-09-13 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-08-27 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P Morales on 2025-08-19 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P Morales on 2025-08-19 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-16 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12 Alamance Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson, Randy Emmitt on 2025-08-12 Alamance Co. Comment:		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-07-28 Carteret Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-07-26 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Dale Morgan, Patrick Coin, Julie Tuttle, Becky Watkins, et al. on 2025-07-26 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-25 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-21 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-07-10 Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-22 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-22 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-02 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-25 Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-24 Brunswick Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-18 Brunswick Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: G. Halloran on 2024-10-31 Wake Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-10-20 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-09-22 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-12 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-09-09 Orange Co. Comment: