Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLasiocampidae Members:
Malacosoma Members:
230 NC Records

Malacosoma disstria Hübner, 1820 - Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: LasiocampidaeSubfamily: LasiocampinaeTribe: LasiocampiniP3 Number: 870014.00 MONA Number: 7698.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: 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.
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: 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 is particularly heavily attacked, becoming stripped of leaves over 1000s of acres. - View
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 on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Malacosoma disstria - Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

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

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:
Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-05-12
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-12
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-05-11
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-04-12
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-05
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-06-02
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-06-02
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-31
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-30
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-30
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-27
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: R. Newman on 2022-05-22
Carteret Co.
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Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2022-05-22
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-19
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2022-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2022-05-15
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-05-15
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-05-15
Wake Co.
Comment: