banded tussock moth

Banded tussock moth is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan of 1¾″.

The forewings are long, slender, and yellowish-white, with four wavy, horizontal bands of beige composed of irregular rectangular blocks edged with fine black lines. The hindwings are unbanded and much smaller. They are mostly translucent white with pale yellow near the base. The body is densely covered with yellow hairs. The thorax has two parallel, turquoise blue lines on the upper side.

The caterpillar is up to 1¾″ long. It is densely covered with long, yellowish-brown, tan, or dark gray, hollow, unicellular, hair-like structures (setae). The second and third thoracic segments each have a pair of long, moveable, black inner and white outer tufts (lashes). The lashes of the second thoracic segment project forward beyond the head. The eighth abdominal segment also has a set of lashes.

Adult: 1¾″ wingspan

Caterpillar: 1¾″ long

Deciduous woods

Adult: One brood, May to August

Caterpillar: July to October

The caterpillars make little or no effort to hide, and are often seen on upper leaf surfaces and often near their own leaf damage. This suggests that, like the adult, they unpalatable to birds.

Alder (Alnus spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.), grape (Vitis spp.), northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), hazel (Corylus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), poplar (Populus spp.), walnut (Juglans spp.), and willow (Salix spp.).

Adults acquire alkaloids from host plants making them unpalatable to predators.

Sources

4, 21, 24, 27, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Common to abundant

Family
In 2011 the family Arctiidae (tiger moths and lichen moths) was transferred to the family Erebidae mostly intact but demoted to a subfamily. The former subfamilies are now tribes, the former tribes now subtribes.

Genus
The genus Halysidota was formerly included in the family Arctiidae. A molecular phylogenetic study on the noctuid moths (Superfamily Noctuidea) published in 2005 clarified the relationships of the noctuid moths and resulted in a reshuffling of the families and subfamilies. The current classification places this genus and species in the family Erebidae.

Banded Tussock Moth
DianesDigitals

Banded Tussock Moth - Hodges#8203 (Halysidota tessellaris)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Halysidota tessellaris (Banded Tussock Moth)
Allen Chartier

Banded Tussock Moth (Erebidae: Halysidota tessellaris) on Leaf
Carl Barrentine

Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar - September 7, 2013
Don Gagnon

Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Rieko Saito

Dayle
8/10/2024

Location: NW Vermont

Was on the arm of my porch Adirondack chair.

Location: Albany, NY

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

Location: Frontenac, MN

This is what I found.  I'd like to know if this is, in fact a tussock moth caterpillar. If so, should I eradicate?

This is a banded tussock moth (Halysidota tessellaris) caterpillar. It feeds on several species of woody trees and shrubs. When it occurs in large numbers it can cause severe damage to a plant. A single caterpillar is unlikely to harm the plant, though the partially eaten leaves may be unsightly.

I am a naturalist, not a gardener. The decision to eradicate or not would depend on your concern for the plant it is feeding on and the potential harm it may cause.