The caterpillars are often parasitized by tachinid flies, which deposit eggs on the larvae. Adult moths emerge in spring. The adult moths are moderate size with a wing span of 3.5-4.5 cm. The scales, whether muted or colorful, seem dusty if they rub off on your fingers. However, I knew some caterpillar can have really bad stings. The caterpillar is known as the 'salt marsh caterpillar'. After that, however, you need to look at color patterns of the legs and other arcane characteristics. Salt Marsh Caterpillars, despite their English name, occur in many habitats other than salt marshes, and in places far from salt marshes. Hi Ellen, Your identification of the Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth, Estigmene acrea, is correct. Record of an upland grassland moth in a coastal salt marsh in Otago, New Zealand B.H. It pupates in a cocoon, made in part from its own hair, usually by wrapping itself in a leaf or other debris. This species has many color variations from black with orangish-red markings to pale yellow to reddish-brown. Wings are dark brown. Salt-marsh caterpillar definition is - a hairy caterpillar that is the larva of an American moth (Estigmene acrea) of the family Arctiidae and that is destructive to various crop plants. Salt Marsh Moth life cycle. The head and thorax are white and the abdomen is yellow orange with a row of black spots. This species overwinters in the pupal stage, protected by a large cocoon made from silk and from the hairs of the caterpillar. Other similar moths in our region include the agreeable tiger moth (Spilosoma congrua), which has a pure white abdomen, and the fall webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea). This is one of the species of woolly bear–type caterpillars we frequently see walking across roads in autumn. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; all unstructured text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Salt-marsh moth Arctiidae 1 in. When young, the caterpillars are gregarious (feed in groups). This is a Tiger Moth. In males the hind wings are orange. The caterpillar is known as the 'salt marsh caterpillar'. Taylor TA, Stern VM. Mar 26, 2016 - This Pin was discovered by Elena V. Discover (and save!) This page was last edited on 9 July 2018, at 13:35. Fortunately, many Internet resources exist to help you with these fine points. The head and thorax are white. Estigmene acrea << Lep species Zoom To My Address Zoom To California Estimated Species Range ( ?) Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA.July 2005. Oddly enough, the name of this species came from an early report from New England where the caterpillars were said to be feeding heavily on saltgrasses growing in a hayfield. I placed it back on a leaf and got this shot. Habitat: Spotted on the side of a hiking trail in a wet mixed, but mostly deciduous forest. The eggs hatch within a week, and the caterpillars eat, grow, and molt a number of times before they’re ready to pupate. Butterflies and Moths of California Showcase listing of Butterflies and Moths found in the state of California. According to Wikipedia, "The larva, known as the salt marsh caterpillar, which grows to about 5 cm (2 in) in length, is highly variable in color, ranging from pale yellow to … The salt marsh caterpillar, however, has noticeably longer hairs at the front and end of the body, especially at the rear, while the Virginian’s hairs are long, soft, and vary considerably in length over the whole body. [5], "Catalogue of the Exhibit of Economic Entomology at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., 1904", "Specific recognition, detoxification and metabolism of pyrrolizidine alkaloids by the polyphagous arctiid, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Estigmene_acrea&oldid=996868971, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 December 2020, at 00:24. be present. Details and highlights were then carefully cut out with an x-acto blade and layered over a crisp orange and shimmering gold paper which catches and reflects light beautifully. This applies worldwide. Occurences >> All Occurence Records. These caterpillars are highly variable in color. Tweet; Description: Very hairy orange-tan caterpillar with long, soft setae projecting from its body. 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