connected black spots. It has a row of black spots on each side, is blackish beneath, 
and is densely clothed with long, fine, white or yellow hairs. Long pencils of hairs, 
pale at the base and black at the tip, arise from the second and third thoracic and 
eighth abdominal segments. Larvae are present from June to September, and winter 
is spent in the pupal stage on the ground. 
Olcerlostera angelica (Grote) larvae feed on the leaves of ash and lilac from New 
England and southern Canada to Florida and westward into the Ohio River Valley. 
Full-grown larvae are 50 to 62 mm long. The head is rounded, brown, and mottled 
with light and dark shades. The body is gray and covered with a network of fine 
wavy black lines, except for the top of the thorax that bears two broad black 
transverse bands. The tops of segments one and seven bear yellowish-green spots, 
long brown and white hairs project forward over the head from the prothorax, and 
whitish hairs project forward from the middle of the second and third thoracic 
segments. Most of the rest of the body is sparsely clothed with short white and 
black hairs. Larvae are found in August and September. Winter is spent in the pupal 
stage on the ground. 
Family Lasiocampidae 
Tent Caterpillar Moths and Allies 
The family Lasiocampidae is represented in North America by about 37 species, 
several of which are important economic pests of trees (442). The moths are 
medium-size and stout-bodied; the body, legs, and eyes are hairy; and the antennae 
are somewhat feathery. The larvae vary in form from nearly cylindrical to very 
much flattened; they are very hairy. 
The majority of important species belong to the genus Malacosoma, and are 
commonly known as tent caterpillars. Four and a possible fifth species occur in 
the Eastern United States and eastern Canada. The remaining 11 North American 
species have a western distribution. A revision of the genus 1s available (//49). This 
includes keys to the adults, mature larvae, and egg masses of all species and a 
discussion of their distribution, their hosts, and some of their habits, and parasites 
recovered. A complete listing of the various species is also available (/344). 
Eggs of tent caterpillar moths are laid either in flattened masses on the bark of 
limbs or trunks of trees or in masses that may encircle small twigs. The number of 
eggs per mass ranges from 100 to 400, usually from 150 to 250. As the eggs are 
deposited, they are held in place by a frothy substance called spumaline (579). The 
majority of species cover their eggs with this material. Hatching occurs in the 
spring, about the time the new leaves of the host tree appear. Young larvae feed first 
on egg shells, then on the buds and young leaves. Those of tent-building species 
also immediately begin to construct a tent on a branch or in a nearby tree crotch. 
They do not feed from within the tent but on the leaves of neighboring branches. As 
they crawl to these branches, they spin strands of silk that they usually follow in 
returning to the tent, where they remain during periods between feedings. Species 
that do not construct tents assemble in clusters on branches and trunks during 
periods between feedings. Toward the end of an instar they spin nests of silk on 
branches and trunks on which they congregate to molt. 
The larvae usually pass through five or six instars. By the time the last instar is 
reached, they are no longer gregarious, and they travel extensively in search of 
food. At this time, they are not very selective in their food requirements and will 
feed on a wide variety of hosts. When their food supply becomes scarce, they may 
migrate in search of other food, often for considerable distances. When they reach 
maturity, they spin cocoons 1n which to pupate. The cocoons are about 25 mm long, 
201 
