Lesser Maple Spanworm Moth
Macaria pustularia
Also known as: Lesser Maple Spanworm
Insecta
COMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- A few weeks
- Size
- Small
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Activity
- Nocturnal
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate forest
- Range
- North America
- Movement
- Flight
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Camouflage
- Status
- Common
About
A small geometrid moth found from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to North Dakota and Saskatchewan, whose caterpillars are inchworms that feed on maple leaves. Its pale, mottled wings mimic lichen-covered bark, helping it stay hidden by day.
Life cycle
- 1.eggA tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
- 2.caterpillarA voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
- 3.cocoonA silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
- 4.mothA winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Geometridae
- Genus
- Macaria
- Species
- Macaria pustularia