Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLasiocampidae Members: Malacosoma Members: 252 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 disstriaAlamance 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 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

 115 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-22
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2025-05-22
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-16
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-05-09
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-08
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-07
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-04-30
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Erin Ancona-Kinsella on 2025-04-16
Pender Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-06-10
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-06-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-05-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-09
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: David George, David Bradley, Tracy Feldman, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-25
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-02
Wake Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-25
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-09
Alleghany Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma disstriaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rich Teper, Erich Hofmann, Jesse Anderson on 2023-05-22
New Hanover Co.
Comment: