Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Eastern North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

The caterpillar of this moth is covered in venomous, urticating spines arranged in fleshy protrusions that deliver a painful sting if touched, while the adult moth itself is a fuzzy, unremarkable brown flyer with a single white dot on each forewing.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
cocoon
A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
moth
A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Limacodidae
Genus: Euclea
Species: Euclea delphinii