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Moths of North Carolina
Moths of North Carolina
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321 NC Records

Megalopyge crispata (Packard, 1864) - Black-waved Flannel Moth

Megalopyge crispata
view caption 		Megalopyge crispataMegalopyge crispataMegalopyge crispata
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Zygaenoidea		 Family:
Megalopygidae		P3 Number:
57a0038		 MONA Number:
4644.00		 MONA Synonym:
Lagoa crispata
Comments: One of four members of this genus in North America, two of which occur in North Carolina. Variably placed in the genera Megalopyge and Lagoa, it is currently assigned to the latter.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: This is a heavy-bodied species with a furry head and thorax that is medium to pale yellow. The legs are also furry and pale yellow, with prominent black tips. The forewing is pale yellow with wavy "hairs" across the basal half that imparts a distinctive wrinkled or woolly appearance. The most obvious marks are discrete black waves running just above the costa, typically with several orange or brown waves beneath. These marks vary in intensity in the female and on worn individuals. Megalopyge crispata is similar in size and shape to M. opercularis but the forewings are pale yellow rather than orange-brown as seen in the latter. In addition, M. opercularis tends to have more extensive black scaling on the tips of the legs.
Wingspan: 25-25 mm (Forbes, 1923)
Adult Structural Features: Males have pectinate antennae that 2/3 as long as the forewing, whereas those of male M. opercularis are only about 1/2 the length of the wing (Forbes, 1923). Forbes describes the forelegs of M. crispata as pale with black tips; in our specimens, the tarsi of all of the legs appears to be pale, with only the metatarsi black. In M. opercularis, in contrast, both the tarsi and metatarsi are blackish.
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are generalists and primarily feed on the leaves of hardwood trees and shrubs. The early instars have a sordid white body that is covered by thin, long, fluffy white hairs. In the older instars the body has a pelt of shorter, dense hairs that are soft, smooth and directed backwards. The body tapers to a wispy "tail" that is composed of setae that barely extend past the body, unlike the much more prominent "tail" of Megalopyge opercularis. The coat varies from orange to grayish and the hairs are sufficiently dense to conceal the body. The larvae are very similar to those of Megalopyge crispata and best identified by either rearing or geographic range (Wagner, 2005). The larvae are capable of producing a painful sting or sometimes more serious reactions due to urticating hairs on the body (Wagner, 2005; Mullen and Zaspel, 2019).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide, from the Barrier Islands to the High Mountains
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Megalopyge crispata
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: Appears to have a single flight in the summer, from May to July
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Our records come from essentially every habitat type in the state, including maritime forests and scrub; peatlands; Longleaf Pine savannas, flatwoods, and sandhills; bottomland forests; mesic to dry slopes in the Piedmont and Mountains, including northern hardwoods at our highest elevations.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on a variety of shrubs and trees including alder, apple, birches, blackberries, oaks, poplars, cherries, sassafras, willows, and many others (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, we have observed the species feeding on American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), a maple (Acer sp.), and an oak (Quercus sp.). - View
Observation Methods: Readily attracted to lights. Adults have only reduced mouthparts and probably do not feed; consequently, they do not come to bait or flowers.
Wikipedia
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 in state parks and on other public lands.
Comments: This species occurs widely across the state, occupying a broad range of habitats, and utilizing a large set of host plants, including many that are common. Consequently, this species appears to be quite secure in North Carolina

 Photo Gallery for Megalopyge crispata - Black-waved Flannel Moth

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

Recorded by: A. Garton on 2025-06-05
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-31
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2025-05-24
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-23
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Allison Garton on 2025-05-21
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-01
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-06-07
Orange Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2024-05-06
Polk Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2023-09-25
Caswell Co.
Comment: on redbud
Recorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-08-18
Caswell Co.
Comment: on beech		Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-07-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Bo Sullivan on 2023-06-13
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2023-05-12
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-22
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-20
Caswell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-05-31
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-14
Madison Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-06-08
Scotland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-06-07
Moore Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: R. Evans on 2020-06-22
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-05-16
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-06-08
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01
Stokes Co.
Comment: