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

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

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: LasiocampidaeSubfamily: LasiocampinaeTribe: LasiocampiniP3 Number: 870017.00 MONA Number: 7701.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: 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.
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, including Apple, Cherry, and Hawthorn; many other species are used secondarily after the primary host have been defoliated (Wagner, 2005 - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Rosaceous Thickets
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 americana - Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth

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

Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-04-16
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Caleb Garner on 2024-04-16
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Paul Hart on 2024-04-14
Harnett Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-04-08
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-04-05
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-06-24
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-09
Alleghany Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-06-08
Alleghany Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2023-06-06
Alleghany Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-06
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-06-03
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-06-01
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-05-30
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-23
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-05-21
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2023-05-17
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-05-17
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-05-12
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George on 2023-04-10
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2023-03-31
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2023-03-25
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2023-03-20
Orange Co.
Comment: early instar larvae on Prunus caroliniana
Recorded by: David George on 2023-03-20
Orange Co.
Comment: early instar larvae on Prunus caroliniana		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-04
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-06-01
Montgomery Co.
Comment: