Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFLasiocampidae Members:
Malacosoma Members:
247 NC Records

Malacosoma disstria Hübner, 1820 - Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

Malacosoma disstria
view caption 		Malacosoma disstriaMalacosoma disstriaMalacosoma disstria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Lasiocampidae		Subfamily:
Lasiocampinae		Tribe:
Lasiocampini		P3 Number:
870014		 MONA Number:
7698.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 20-37 mm, males (Forbes, 1923)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Malacosoma disstria
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
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Woodlands and Forests (Wagner, 2005). North Carolina records come from hardwood forests, ranging from Maritime Forests to Northern Hardwoods.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are highly polyphagous, feeding on many hardwood trees and shrubs (Wagner, 2005). In swamp forests that are flooded during the winter, one of its natural control agents -- a Tachinid fly -- is greatly reduced and the populations of the moth can reach defoliating proportions. Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) is particularly heavily attacked, becoming stripped of leaves over thousands of acres. In North Carolina, Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a frequent host, but we also have records of larvae feeding on maple (Acer) and oak (Quercus), and doubtless many other hosts are used in our state. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Malacosoma disstria - Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

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

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-16
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2025-05-09
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-08
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-30
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Erin Ancona-Kinsella on 2025-04-16
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-10
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-29
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-09
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, David Bradley, Tracy Feldman, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-25
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-09
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06
Alleghany Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Erich Hofmann, Jesse Anderson on 2023-05-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-05-22
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-05-22
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper on 2023-05-21
New Hanover Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2023-05-17
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17
Richmond Co.
Comment: