#southern flannel moth

[drafthearse]

Megalopyge opercularis, Southern Flannel Moth (Hodges #4647). SERC, Edgewater, Anne Arundel County, MD - 07/01/16.

#Megalopyge opercularis #Southern Flannel Moth #moths #lepidoptera #bugs #finds

[fuzzy-w0rms]

OH MY GOD. EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING I NEED TO SHOW YOU THIS MOTH

THEY’RE CALLED THE SOUTHERN FLANNEL MOTH AND THEYRE SO TINY JUST

IM GOING FERAL RN

#moth #moths #insects #tw insects #southern flannel moth

[moths-daily]

Southern flannel moth?

Moth Of The Day #23

Southern Flannel Moth

Megalopyge opercularis

From the megalopygidae family. They have a wingspan of 2-4cm. They tend to inhabit decidious forests. They can be found throughout the Eastern United States, Mexico, and some parts of Central America.

#moth #moths #moth of the day #motd #lepidopterology #lepidoptera #pretty moth #bugs #insects #nature #southern flannel moth #megalopygidae moth

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Southern Flannel Moth

Megalopyge opercularis

The southern flannel moth is a part of the family Megalopygidae, the family of flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths. It was described by Sir James Edward Smith in 1797. They get the name “flannel moth” from being covered in setae, hair like bristles that give them a fuzzy, soft look.

Description Adult moths have round, hairy bodies ranging in coloration from cream at the bottom to yellow or light brown at the head. It’s legs are the same brown as the body with black feet. The forewings fade from a darker brown to cream with black/dark brown at the top edge or “costal margin.” The outer margin is white and the middle of the forewings have white patterning. The hindwings are fully cream or have a similar gradient. The antennae of females are thin and white, while males have feathery yellow antennae. Males and females may have differing coloration. Females are larger than males.

The caterpillars are known for their long stinging hairs and their unusual amount of prolegs. Flannel moth caterpillars have 7 pairs of prolegs, while all other butterfly and moth caterpillars have 5 or fewer.

Average wingspan: 30 mm (≈1.18 in)

Diet and Habitat This species live on oak, elm, and wild plum as well as many garden plants such as roses and ivy. Adult moths do not feed.

It’s distributed across the eastern United States/Gulf Coast. They range from New Jersey to Florida and west to Arkansas and Texas. It is common in Florida but reaches its greatest abundance in Texas. They can reach further south to Mexico and Central America. They are commonly found in wooded areas like deciduous forests but can also be found in urban and suburban gardens.

Mating This moths has 2 generations per year, one in the summer and one in the fall. Late larvae may overwinter in their cocoon and emerge in late spring. Females usually mate the night of they leave their cocoons and lay their eggs during the first two nights following mating. Eggs are laid in single or double curved rows and occasionally in patches on foliage or small twigs and are covered with hair from the under side of the female to protect them. Eggs hatch in six to eight days.

Predators Observations of this moth’s predators is lacking, but there are a few reports of lacewing feeding on their eggs and a lizard eating a later instar. It is assumed they are preyed on by other common predators of moths like birds, bats, praying mantises, lady beetles, and ants. At least four species of tachinid flies and two species of ichneumonid wasp have been reported to parasitize the flannel moth larva. The caterpillar protects itself with long venomous spines. When touched they cause severe skin irritation, described as like a broken bone or blunt-force trauma, or even white hot. The reaction tends to spread:

“The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area, but are often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling, nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing. Sweating from the welts or hives at the site of the sting is not unusual.”

Fun Fact The caterpillars are covered in long setae, making it resemble a tiny Persian cat, which is where it is assumed the name "puss" comes from. Some of the many names for the larva include: puss caterpillar, asp, Italian asp, fire caterpillar, woolly slug, opossum bug, puss moth, tree asp, and asp caterpillar.

(Source: Wikipedia; IFAS Extension, University of Florida; Missouri Department of Conservation; AZ Animals)

#libraryofmoths #animals #bugs #facts #insects #moth #mothoftheweek #lepidoptera #Megalopyge opercularis #Megalopygidae #southern flannel moth

[onenicebugperday]

i learned flannel moths exist yesterday and i might cry tbh they're such a perfect and fuzzy creature

Lots of people are familiar with the caterpillar (D*onald Tr*mp hair) but I don't think most people have seen the adults and they're VERY good. Here's a southern flannel moth:

Photo by sgalick

Caterpillars are NOT safe to touch but the adult moths are harmless :)

#crashional-thinker #insects #bugs #moth #flannel moth #southern flannel moth

[death-by-moth]

Woe! Southern flannel Moth be upon ye!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE LITTLE GUYS!!!

I long to someday travel down south and see one of these in the wild, or at the very least one of their caterpillars. Just need to be careful not to touch the latter, of course! I don't think I want to find out how bad that infamous sting really is, lol. But regardless, I love this ball of fuzz :D

#thank you! #moth #southern flannel moth #ask

[eb-arts]

I need motivation tbh :p anyways fursona? But moth :) (I'll finish it at some point) (base is by flutershy0159 found on Pinterest)

#give me motivation #i need motivation #help #fursona #moth sona #Southern Flannel moth #idk #idk how to tag this #:p #blep

[megalopyge-opercularis-official]

the majestic southern flannel moth (megalopyge opercularis)

#southern flannel moth

[all-the-bones-ever]

fluffy moth? baby!!

fluffy caterpillar? death!!

#Venezuelan poodle moth #southern flannel moth #moths #fluffy moth

[morningmothee]

He's so fucking fuzzy

Southern Flannel Moth

#moth #southern flannel moth #Megalopyge opercularis

[jollysnail]

Yet another moth character because I like doing so

#moth art #moth #southern flannel moth #moth oc #humanoid oc #oc #original character

[dailypearldoodles]

[day 352] i shouldn’t have given my pearl floof now all i want to do is draw her floofy

#pearlescentmoon #daily pearl doodles #mod cosmic #fun fact my pearl’s floof is based on the southern flannel moth

[moths-daily]

Have you done the asp moth yet? Had a caterpillar land on me when I was doing the lawn once and I had the markings for a week. (I can definitely see where it got its name.)

Yes, we have! You can find it here!

#moth #moths #lepidopterology #lepidoptera #bugs #southern flannel moth #asp moth

[oooocleo]

deaths head hawk moth 👇

Southern flannel moth👇

Japanese rhinoceros beetle 👏

I present my todays work to u all… and for once I wont forget to add my patreon link sudhefjh

Patreon

#my art #insects #bugs #moths #beetle #cw insects #cw bugs

[onenicebugperday]

@thehummer submitted: What type of caterpillar/larvae is this??

I can't ID properly without a location but it's some kind of flannel moth caterpillar. Given the colors, possibly a southern flannel moth. Do not touch them unless you love agonizing pain :)

#animals #insects #bugs #submission #moth #flannel moth #Megalopyge #caterpillar #larva

[irradiatedsnakes]

been doodling the archiveses during class yaaay

(common raven jon, jackson's chameleon tim, bold jumping spider martin, southern flannel moth sasha, red postman butterfly notsasha, barn owl elias, eastern copperhead melanie, and triceratops horridus georgie)

#art #tma #furry tma #jonathan sims #tim stoker #martin blackwood #sasha james #not!sasha #elias bouchard #melanie king #georgie barker