Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFErebidae Members:
Hyphantria Members:
409 NC Records

Hyphantria cunea (Drury, 1773) - Fall Webworm Moth


view caption
view caption
Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: ErebidaeSubfamily: ArctiinaeTribe: ArctiiniP3 Number: 930319.00 MONA Number: 8140.00
Comments: The only member of its genus in North America. Two species, cunea and textor, have been recognized in the past (e.g., Brimley, 1938; Forbes, 1960), but only cunea is considered valid now (Hodges, et al., 1983).
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1960)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1960); Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: Adults are white with variable amounts of black spotting. They are typically smaller but similar to Spilosoma species, also possessing yellow on fore-coxae and femora like all but S. latipennis. Particularly similar to S. congrua, with both possessing all white abdomens and overlapping in size. The antennal shaft of Hyphantria is typically black, however (at least in the typical form, Forbes, 1960), whereas it is usually white in Spilosoma species (Forbes also describes form textor of Hyphantria as having white shafts). Hyphantria are also usually smaller, slimmer, and occasionally much darker than Spilosoma.
Wingspan: 25 - 39 mm (Covell, 1984)
Adult Structural Features: Hyphantria only possess a single pair of tibial spurs (terminal) on the hind-legs instead of the two pairs found in Spilosoma (Forbes, 1960).
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from photos showing hindwings, abdomen, or other specialized views [e.g., frons, palps, antennae, undersides].
Immatures and Development: Larvae are social, building large communal webs that are quite conspicuous; unlike the Eastern Tent Caterpillars, which build their webs at branch crotches, Hyphantria larvae build theirs out on the tips of the branches. The larvae are highly variable in coloration, ranging from pale yellowish-green to dark gray (Wagner, 2005). Some of the hairs are extremely long, greater than 4-5 body segments in length (Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide (Brimley, 1938)
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
Flight Comments: Has three broods in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain but the pattern is less clear in the Mountains
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Wagner (2005) lists the habitats of this species as "yards and parks, fields, fencerows, woodlands, and forests." In North Carolina, it is found in most habitats that possess hardwood trees, including maritime and coastal fringe forests, sandhills, floodplains, mesic slopes, and dry ridges and summits.
Larval Host Plants: Polyphagous, but feeding solely on hardwood trees, unlike most other members of the Arctiinae. Recorded from over 400 species of hardwoods (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, we have observed it feeding on a wide range of hardwoods, including ash, birch, cherry, hickory, holly, maple, mulberry, persimmon, redbud, sourwood, sweetgum, sycamore, and walnut. - View
Observation Methods: Populations are easily detected by the communal webs made by the larvae. Adults come well to blacklights, with up to 90 being collected in a single trap. None have been recorded at bait.
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: This species is abundant, widespread, and makes use of a wide variety of habitats across the state, including wooded residential areas. It appears to be quite secure.

 Photo Gallery for Hyphantria cunea - Fall Webworm Moth

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

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-22
Randolph Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-21
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-09-12
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-09-05
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-02
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Steve Hall on 2024-08-31
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-31
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-02
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-27
Rowan Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-27
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2024-07-04
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jame Amoroso, John Amoroso, Meriel Goodwin, Jason Hollinger, Gary Perlmutter on 2024-06-16
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Newman on 2024-06-11
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-06-10
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-05-29
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-05-25
Chatham 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: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-10
Pender Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-06
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-05-06
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-29
Chatham Co.
Comment: