Moths of North Carolina
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Malacosoma Members:
343 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 americana
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:
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

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

Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2025-05-16
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-08
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-06
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-05-02
Durham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-04-08
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-06-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-05-27
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-05-24
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-05-24
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-20
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-19
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-12
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-12
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-12
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-05-07
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2024-05-07
Cumberland Co.
Comment: