Lophocampa maculata

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Cladus: Macroheterocera
Superfamilia: Noctuoidea

Familia:Erebidae
Subfamilia: Arctiinae
Tribus: Arctiini
Subtribus: Phaegopterina
Genus: Lophocampa
Species: Lophocampa maculata

Lophocampa maculata, the spotted tussock moth, mottled tiger or spotted halisidota, is a moth of the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841. It is found across Canada, the western parts of the United States, south in the Appalachians to South Carolina and Kentucky.

The wingspan is 35–45 mm. The moth flies from May to July; the larvae remain from July to September.[1] There is one generation per year. The larvae go through five instars; the final instar is black at the ends, with a yellow or orange middle section, which in some populations has black spots.[2]

The larvae feed on the leaves of poplar and willow, but also feed on alder, basswood, birch, maple and oak.

It is a tiger moth but is commonly referred to as a "tussock moth" for the tufts of hair on the caterpillar. According to Wiktionary, a tussock is a tuft or clump of green grass or similar verdure, forming a small hillock.[1]
Subspecies

Lophocampa maculata maculata
Lophocampa maculata agassizii (Packard, 1864) (California, British Columbia)
Lophocampa maculata texana (Rothschild, 1909) (Texas)

References

Cotinis (February 26, 2016). "Species Lophocampa maculata - Spotted Tussock Moth - Hodges#8214". BugGuide. Retrieved 22 September 2019.

Strothkamp, Kenneth G. (2011). "Larval Coloration in Lophocampa maculata Harris 1841: Instar-Specific Partial Depigmentation in Captive and Wild Populations". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 65 (3): 190–193. doi:10.18473/lepi.v65i3.a8.

In Bassetts, California
External links
Robinson, E. & Schmidt, B. C. "Species Details Lophocampa maculata". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
"930373.00 – 8214 – Lophocampa maculata – Spotted Tussock Moth – Harris, 1841". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved September 22, 2019.