Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Erebidae Members:	Dasychira Members:	120 NC Records

Dasychira tephra Hübner, 1809 - Tephra Tussock Moth

Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Noctuoidea

Family:
Erebidae

Subfamily:
Lymantriinae

Tribe:
Orgyiini

P3 Number:
930144

MONA Number:
8292.00

Comments: One of 16 species in this genus that occur in North America, 10 of which have been recorded in North Carolina.

Identification

Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)

Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Ferguson (1978)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Ferguson (1978) includes tephra in a key to the larvae. Illustrated by Wagner (2005).

Adult Markings: Males are typically uniformly gray brown with olive shadings and little contrast between green and brown areas (Ferguson, 1978); the pale patch found along the costa and cell is usually missing in the males (although present to some extent in the females). The antemedian line is black and roundly crenulated. The postmedian is usually straight or concave on the forewing but evenly convex on the hindwing. Forms with a black bar from the base to the tornus are fairly common in this species. In tephra, this bar is characteristically wide, black, and rounded or truncated at the end, whereas is is sharply pointed in obliquata and missing in dorsipennata (Ferguson, 1978). Females are larger and similar in color to the males but often have a paler patch from the costa to the cell. As in the males, there are barred forms of the females, again with wide black bar with a rounded or truncated termination at the tornus. Ferguson (1978) notes that barred females in particular can be confused with similarly marked individuals of basiflava and obliquata, although the bar in obliquata tends to be thinner and more sharply pointed.

Adult Structural Features: Dasychira species have two dorsal tufts on their abdomens, whereas Orgyia have just one. Adults lack mouthparts. Males cannot be distinguished from related species based on genitalia and females only exhibit slight differences (Ferguson, 1978).

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Larvae are covered in grayish to yellowish hair, with two anterior hair pencils but with only one dorsal hair pencil on the anterior end; the plumose setae composing the hair pencils have a yellowish shaft and a dark tip. Larvae of D. dorsipennata are similar but have two lateral hair pencils in addition to the dorsal hair pencil at the posterior end and the shafts of the plumose setae are black instead of yellowish (see Ferguson, 1978, and Wagner, 2005, for details).

Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Recorded across the entire state except for the Barrier Islands.

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: Probably two adult flights over most of North Carolina except possibly in the High Mountains.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: The majority of our records come from wet to mesic hardwood forests, although there are also a few from dry sandhill or ridgetop habitats. In the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, it occurs primarily in riparian habitats where Laurel and Willow Oaks are common. Sand Laurel Oak -- closely related to Laurel Oak -- could be a host plant in some of the dry coastal fringe sandhills habitats where tephra has been found but it has not been recorded on the Barrier Islands where Sand Laurel Oak is common. In the Mountains, tephra occurs primarily at lower elevations but in both riparian and ridgetop habitats. Both Willow Oak and Water Oak are absent or rare over most of that region and other species of oaks are likely to be the host plants.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are stenophagous, feeding primarily or exclusively on oaks (Ferguson, 1978; Wagner, 2005). Ferguson found at least one larva on Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia) but reared it on White Oak (Q. alba). He also cites R. Dominick as having reared D. tephra on Water Oak (Q. nigra). In North Carolina, we have found the species feeding on Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). - View

Observation Methods: Appears to come well to 15 watt UV lights. Adults do not feed, so do not come to bait or to flowers. Larvae are distinctive and should be looked for in order to better document their host plants. The hair of all Lymantriinae larvae are possibly urticating, however, and should be handled with care (Ferguson, 1978).

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]

State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.

Comments: Widespread in fairly common habitat types in North Carolina and apparently secure.

Photo Gallery for Dasychira tephra - Tephra Tussock Moth

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

	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-26 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-26 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25 Mitchell Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24 Richmond Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jim Petranka, John Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-09 Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-31 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-08-23 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20 Orange Co. Comment: On Gleditsia triacanthos.		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27 Yancey Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-27 Yancey Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-24 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik, Patrick Coin on 2024-06-22 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2024-05-13 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Hall on 2023-08-18 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-09 Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2023-08-04 Davidson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-07-17 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-03 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: tom ward on 2022-08-14 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Lior Carlson, Becky Watkins, Richard Teper, Stephen Dunn on 2022-07-23 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-10 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-09-08 Chatham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2021-08-10 Cabarrus Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2021-07-23 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2021-05-30 Chatham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2020-09-06 Durham Co. Comment: