Orgyia vetusta, also known as the western tussock moth, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia. The species is dimorphic; the females are flightless.
Western tussock moth | |
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Western Tussock Moth caterpillar on madrone or manzanita, San Mateo County, California, 2022 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Genus: | Orgyia |
Species: | O. vetusta
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Binomial name | |
Orgyia vetusta Boisduval, 1852
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The Western tussock moth is reported on virtually all California oak species as well as various fruit and nut trees, ceanothus, hawthorn, manzanita, pyracantha, toyon, walnut, and willow.[1] There is an isolated population in Boise County, Idaho.[citation needed] This species has also been seen in U.S. gulf coast states such as Louisiana.[citation needed]
Additional images
editReferences
edit- ^ Swiecki, Tedmund J.; Bernhardt, Elizabeth A. (2006). A Field Guide to Insects and Diseases of California Oaks. Pacific Southwest Research Station (Report). Gen. Tech Rep. PSW-GTR-197. Albany, California: U.S. Forest Service Treesearch Department. p. 24. doi:10.2737/PSW-GTR-197. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- USDA Forest Pest Leaflet 120
- Stanford University Grounds Services: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Releasing Beneficial Insects to Control Tussock Moth Populations at Stanford University
- Note to caterpillars dangling under the oaks: Meet the beetles
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