Western tussock moth

Species of moth

Western tussock moth

Western Tussock Moth caterpillar on madrone or manzanita, San Mateo County, California, 2022
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Orgyia
Species:	O. vetusta
Binomial name
*Orgyia vetusta* Boisduval, 1852

Orgyia vetusta, also known as the western tussock moth, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia. The species is dimorphic; the females are flightless.

The Western tussock moth is reported on virtually all California oak species as well as various fruit and nut trees, ceanothus, hawthorn, manzanita, pyracantha, toyon, walnut, and willow.^[1] There is an isolated population in Boise County, Idaho.^{[citation needed]} This species has also been seen in U.S. gulf coast states such as Louisiana.^{[citation needed]}

Additional images

Moth
Moth
Tussock larva on coast live oak

References

^ Swiecki, Tedmund J.; Bernhardt, Elizabeth A. (2006). A Field Guide to Insects and Diseases of California Oaks. Pacific Southwest Research Station (Report). Gen. Tech Rep. PSW-GTR-197. Albany, California: U.S. Forest Service Treesearch Department. p. 24. doi:10.2737/PSW-GTR-197. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

USDA Forest Pest Leaflet 120
Stanford University Grounds Services: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Releasing Beneficial Insects to Control Tussock Moth Populations at Stanford University
Note to caterpillars dangling under the oaks: Meet the beetles