Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLasiocampidae Members: Phyllodesma Members: 80 NC Records

Phyllodesma americana (Harris, 1841) - Lappet Moth

Phyllodesma americanaPhyllodesma americanaPhyllodesma americanaPhyllodesma americana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Lasiocampidae		Subfamily:
Lasiocampinae		Tribe:
Gastropachini		P3 Number:
870003		 MONA Number:
7687.00		 Other Common Names:
American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Phyllodesma americanaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Woodlands and forests (Wagner, 2005). North Carolina records come come predominately from mesic hardwood forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on many hardwood trees and shrubs. Wagner (2005) specifically lists alder (Alnus), apple (Malus), birch (Betula), cherry (Prunus), ironwood (Carpinus), oak (Quercus), poplar (Populus), and willow (Salix). In North Carolina, J.B. Sullivan reared larvae from Bluejack Oak (Quercus incana) and Turkey Oak (Q. laevis). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Records are fairly sparse for what is a widespread species that uses a variety of common habitats. It's early flight period may cause it to be undersampled.

 Photo Gallery for Phyllodesma americana - Lappet Moth

 57 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-04-02
Madison Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2025-03-28
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, Kaitlyn Elliott on 2025-03-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-03-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-03-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: M. Prinz on 2024-03-27
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Ann Weinrich and Owen McConnell on 2024-03-25
Graham Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-03-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2024-03-05
Polk Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2024-03-05
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-04-05
Madison Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: B bockhahn on 2023-04-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Vin Stanton on 2023-03-27
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-03-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-03-01
Orange Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2023-02-24
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2023-02-24
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-29
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-04-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-11
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-03-31
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-04-09
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-03-24
Madison Co.
Comment:
Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2021-03-23
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Phyllodesma americanaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2021-03-23
New Hanover Co.
Comment: