Megalopyge Flannel Moths

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Moths Page | Jeff's Nature Pages

CAUTION: STINGING HAIRS!!

Crinkled Flannel Moth, Black-waved Flannel Moth (Lagoa crispata = Megalopyge crispata)
Duke Forest, Durham Co., NC
19 Oct 2011

Photo shot with flash to bring out the orange color

CAUTION: STINGING HAIRS!!

Crinkled Flannel Moth, Black-waved Flannel Moth (Lagoa crispata = Megalopyge crispata)
Duke Forest, Durham Co., NC
19 Oct 2011

No flash

fluffy white caterpillar

CAUTION: STINGING HAIRS!!

Crinkled Flannel Moth, Black-waved Flannel Moth (Lagoa crispata = Megalopyge crispata)
Craven Co., NC
27 Aug 2006

Early instars are pure white, while later instars become more orange-gray (see below)

Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge sp.) CAUTION: STINGING HAIRS!!

Crinkled Flannel Moth, Black-waved Flannel Moth Caterpillar, probably (Lagoa crispata = Megalopyge crispata)

Craven Co., NC 8/28/2005

Note that the hairs you see are not the ones that sting, but they are covering some nasty stinging spines underneath!

Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge sp.) CAUTION: STINGING HAIRS!!

Crinkled Flannel Moth, Black-waved Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Lagoa crispata = Megalopyge crispata)

Craven Co., NC 8/28/2005

Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; Alan Weakley's Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Supplemental resources include USDA plants website, and NatureServe.

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Created on ... July 12, 2010 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com