giant leopard moth

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Giant leopard moth is a common, large, easily recognized tiger moth. It is one of the largest tiger moths in eastern North America. Males are up to 2″ long with a wingspan up to 3½″. Females are much smaller, no more than 1¼″ in length.

The thorax is white with twelve bluish-black spots. There is a tympanal hearing organ on each side of the thorax, but this is covered with hairs and is not visible from above.

The abdomen is strikingly colored but not visible when the moth is at rest. It is bright orange above with large iridescent blue and black bands in the middle (dorsally) and a row of large iridescent blue and black spots on each side (laterally).

The forewings are white with numerous glossy bluish-black spots. The spots are highly variable. They may be solid, boldly outlined with a white center, or narrowly outlined and hollow. The outer portions of the forewing lose their white scales and become translucent as the moth ages.

The caterpillar is up to 3″ long and is densely covered with long stiff bristles (setae). The setae are sharply pointed and barbed. They are in clusters rising from prominently raised warts. A narrow, dull red ring between each abdominal segment is visible when the caterpillar moves or curls up into a defensive posture. There is a small breathing hole (spiracle) on both sides of each thoracic segment and all but the last abdominal segment. The spiracles are dull red.

Male Total length: up to 2″

Female Total length: up to 1¼″

Wingspan: 2¼″ to 3½″

One generation per year: May to June

The caterpillar hides in leaf litter or under loose bark during the day and comes out at night to feed. When threatened, it will roll up.

Adults are active at night. Male adults are attracted to light. Females are not. When threatened, they will curl up, displaying their brightly colored abdomen, and exude a yellow, acrid-smelling liquid.

Almost mature caterpillars overwinter under logs and beneath bark.

Deciduous trees and a wide array of low growing herbaceous and woody plants.

Adults do not feed.

Sources

21, 24, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82.

Common in the United States east of the Great Plains

Until recently, tiger moths and lichen moths were treated as a separate family Arctiidae. A recently published monograph (Lafontaine and Schmidt, 2010) contended that the Arctiidae “were more closely related to groups within the Noctuidae than to non-noctuid families.” The Arctiidae were transferred intact to the family Erebidae as a subfamily (Arctiinae). The former subfamilies are now tribes and the former tribes are now subtribes.

Giant Woolly Bear

Location: Harris, Chisago Co. MN

caterpillar found on zucchini leaf, about noon.

Location: Cass County

Found in a northern hardwoods forest on a woody shrub

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Giant Woolly Bear