Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFLasiocampidae Members: Malacosoma Members: 347 NC Records

Malacosoma americana (Fabricius, 1793) - Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth

Malacosoma americanaMalacosoma americanaMalacosoma americanaMalacosoma americana
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Lasiocampidae		Subfamily:
Lasiocampinae		Tribe:
Lasiocampini		P3 Number:
870017		 MONA Number:
7701.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 25 mm, males 35 mm, females (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 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:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed initially on members of the rose family (Rosaceae), including apple, cherry, and hawthorn; many other species are used secondarily after the primary host have been defoliated (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) seems to be a frequent host, but we also have records of larvae feeding on maple (Acer sp.), hickory (Carya), hawthorn (Crataegus), apple (Malus), Carolina Laurel Cherry (Prunus caroliniana), White Oak (Quercus alba), Southern Red Oak (Q. falcata), Willow Oak (Q. phellos), and rose (Rosa). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Rosaceous Thickets
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 americana - Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth

 159 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Chuck Smith on 2025-05-16
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Brian Bockhahn, Jim Petranka, John Petranka, Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-08
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-06
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-02
Durham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-08
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-06-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-24
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-05-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-19
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Malacosoma americanaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-12
Rowan Co.
Comment: