Euchaetes egle
Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tiger moth or milkweed tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides (Weller et al., 1999). These are retained in adults and deter bats, and presumably other predators, from feeding on them (Hristov and Conner 2005). Only very high cardiac glycoside concentrations deterred bats, however (Hristov and Conner 2005). Adults indicate their unpalatability with clicks from their tymbal organs (Simmons and Conner 1996).
| Milkweed tiger moth | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Euchaetes |
| Species: | E. egle |
| Binomial name | |
| Euchaetes egle (Drury, 1773) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Range
It is found from southern Canada and south through Texas and Florida in North America (Wagner 2005).
Life cycle
There is one generation per year in the north and two or more in the south (Wagner 2005).
Egg
Females lay eggs in masses on the undersides of leaves.
Larva
Early instars appear slightly hairy and gray. They skeletonize whole leaves gregariously, leaving lacy leaf remnants. They are gregarious until their third instar. Later instars sport tufts of black, white and orange (sometimes yellow) setae (hairs). The head capsule is black. The later instars wander much more, and may appear alone or in groups of 2 to 10. Mature caterpillars occur from June onwards (Wagner 2005). Larvae grow as long as 35 mm.
Early instar
Late instar_-_Late_Instar_-_Oct_2007_TX_-_JScottKelley.jpg.webp)
Late instar
Under attack of a pentatomid
Pupa
The gray cocoon is felted, with hairs from the larvae, and overwinters (Wagner, 2005).
Adults
Wings are grayish. Abdomens are hairy and yellow, each with a row of black dots on its dorsum. Males use their tymbal organs in calling females and in defense against bats (Simmons and Conner, 1996).
Food plants
This moth frequently uses milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and sometimes dogbane (Apocynum spp.) as larval host plants. Larvae often feed on older milkweed shoots, and seldom share shoots with monarchs (Danaus plexippus), which prefer younger ones (Wagner, 2005).
Dogbanes and milkweeds produce a sticky latex that can impede larval feeding. Early instars avoid the veins by skeletonizing the leaves. Older larvae sever the veins that supply the latex, which reduces latex flow to the area they feed on (Dussourd and Denno, 1991).
References
- Dussourd, D. E. & Denno, R. F. (1991). "Deactivation of plant defense: Correspondence between insect behavior and secretory canal architecture". Ecology. 72 (4): 1383–1396.
- Hristov, N. L. & Conner, W. E. (2005). "Effectiveness of tiger moth (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) chemical defenses against an insectivorous bat (Eptesicus fuscus)". Chemoecology. 15 (2): 105–113.
- Simmons, R. B. & Conner, W. E. (1996). "Acoustic cues in defense and courtship of Euchaetes egle Drury and E. bolteri Stretch (Lep., Arctiidae)". Journal of Insect Behavior. 9: 909–919.
- Wagner, D. L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press.
- Weller, S. J., Jacobsen, N. L. & Conner, W. E. (1999). "The evolution of chemical defenses and mating systems in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 68 :557–578.
External links
- Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Milkweed Tussock Moth or Milkweed Tiger Moth Euchaetes egle (Drury, 1773)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved September 12, 2019. Range map
- Moths of Maryland. Images of adult
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