Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar - Dorsal View
Other Common Names: Milkweed Tiger Moth, Harlequin Caterpillar (larva)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) // Family Arctiidae (Tiger Moths) // Subfamily Arctiinae (Tiger Moths)
Tribe Phaegopterini // Genus Euchaetes // Species egle (Milkweed Tussock Moth - Hodges#8238)
Life Cycle
Larvae feed on milkweed, Asclepias species. Adults sometimes found on hostplant during day.
Females lay eggs in "rafts" and caterpillars are gregarious during instars 1-3, solitary in later instars,
when marked with bright tufts. May defoliate patches of milkweed.
Range: eastern half of US plus Quebec and Ontario
Season- Adult: May-September (two flights in much of range). Caterpillars found starting in June
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