''Lithacodes fasciola'', the yellow-shouldered slug or ochre-winged hag moth, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Limacodidae The Limacodidae or Eucleidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea or the Cossoidea;Scoble, M.J. (1992). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity.'' Oxford University Press. the placement is in dispute. They are often c ...

Lifecycle

One generation a year occurs in the north, but two or more in southern United States, so mature caterpillars may be found from May to November.Wagner, DL, 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press

Larva

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

is flattened and ovoid in outline, with a short, squared off "tail". It is a bright yellow green with yellow and green stripes along its length. Small craters dot its topside. Maximum length is 15 mm. Like all limacodids, the legs are shortened and the prolegs are reduced to suction cups. A high proportion of larvae has parasitoids. Their presence can be determined before emergence by a black spot formed by the breathing siphon of the fly.

Pupa

This species pupates in a cup-shaped cocoon with a circular escape hatch.

Adult

The small (1 cm) moth is "hairy" and brown, with a white stripe bordered in black across the fore wings, black spots, and a black crescent. The under wing is a paler grey brown.

Food plants

This moth eats a variety of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

trees and shrubs, such as apple, beech, birch, blueberry, cherry, chestnut, hickory, honey locust, hornbeam, linden, maple, oak, and willow.

Gallery

Image:Lithacodes.JPG, Larva, Delton, Michigan Image:Lithacodes fasciola larva.jpg, Larva Image:Lithacodes fasciola larvae.jpg, Larvae in a research facility, Washington, DC

References

External links

Moths of Maryland
image {{Taxonbar, from=Q6647831 Limacodidae Moths described in 1854 Taxa named by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer Moths of North America