CHEN \\. 
Courtesy Can. For. Serv., Can. Dep. Environ., 
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. 
Figure 97.—Larvae and cocoon of the hickory tussock 
moth, Lophocampa caryae. 
Adults appear from late May to early July. The female deposits her eggs in 
batches of 50 to 400 each in a single layer on the undersides of leaves. The larvae 
feed gregariously until nearly mature. Winter is spent in the pupal stage in gray, 
hairy cocoons under rubbish and stones on the ground. There is one generation per 
year. This species is often abundant locally, but it seldom, if ever, causes serious 
defoliation. 
The spotted tussock moth, 1. maculata (Harris), occurs in the Northern States 
and southern Canada. The larvae feed on the foliage of various deciduous trees such 
as oak, poplar, birch, beech, black locust, boxelder, black cherry, maple, and 
willow. The oaks, willow, and poplar are particularly favored. The adult is pale 
yellow with long, somewhat pointed, brown-spotted forewings, and has a wing- 
spread of 37 to 50 mm. Full-grown larvae are about 30 mm long, and dull black 
above. They are thickly clothed with tufts of black and bright-yellow to whitish 
hairs, and have a row of short tufts down the middle of the dorsum. The tufts on the 
third thoracic and eighth abdominal segments are longest and bear an intermixture 
of white, yellowish, and black hairs; those on the thorax overhang the head. The 
larvae are solitary feeders except during outbreaks and are found from July to 
October. Winter is spent as a pupa in a hairy cocoon, and there is one generation per 
year. This species is occasionally abundant enough to damage shade trees. 
The pale tussock moth, Halysidota tessellaris (J. E. Smith), occurs in southern 
Canada and throughout the eastern part of the United States. The larvae feed on 
practically all common deciduous trees and shrubs. The adult is pale yellow and has 
a wingspread of about 50 mm. The forewings are translucent and crossed by five 
broad, dark bands. Full-grown larvae are dingy and densely clothed with compact 
tufts of light-yellow or dirty-white fine hairs. Hair pencils rise in pairs from the 
second and third thoracic and eighth abdominal segments (fig. 98). Adults appear in 
June and July and the larvae, which usually feed singly, are present from August to 
October. The winter is spent as a pupa in a brownish, hairy cocoon, and there is one 
generation per year. This species is frequently abundant in the forest and along 
roadsides in the South Central States, but is usually of minor importance. 
224 
