''Lithacodes fasciola'', the yellow-shouldered slug or ochre-winged hag moth, is a
moth of the family
Limacodidae.
Lifecycle
One generation a year occurs in the north, but two or more in southern United States, so mature
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s may be found from May to November.
[Wagner, DL, 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press]
Larva
The
larva is flattened and ovoid in outline, with a short, squared off "tail". It is a bright yellow green with yellow and green stripes along its length. Small craters dot its topside. Maximum length is 15 mm.
Like all limacodids, the legs are shortened and the
prolegs are reduced to suction cups. A high proportion of larvae has
parasitoid
In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...
s. Their presence can be determined before emergence by a black spot formed by the breathing siphon of the fly.
Pupa
This species pupates in a cup-shaped
cocoon with a circular escape hatch.
Adult
The small (1 cm) moth is "hairy" and brown, with a white stripe bordered in black across the fore wings, black spots, and a black crescent. The under wing is a paler grey brown.
Food plants
This moth eats a variety of
deciduous trees and shrubs, such as apple, beech, birch, blueberry, cherry, chestnut, hickory, honey locust, hornbeam, linden, maple, oak, and willow.
Gallery
Image:Lithacodes.JPG, Larva, Delton, Michigan
Image:Lithacodes fasciola larva.jpg, Larva
Image:Lithacodes fasciola larvae.jpg, Larvae in a research facility, Washington, DC
References
External links
Moths of Marylandimage
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6647831
Limacodidae
Moths described in 1854
Taxa named by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer
Moths of North America