Courtesy Conn. Agric. Exp. Stn. 
Figure 100.—Larvae of the whitemarked tussock moth, 
Orgyia leucostigma. 
Oregyia definita Packard, the definite-marked tussock moth, occurs in southern 
Ontario and the Eastern States and feeds on quite a wide variety of deciduous trees 
such as willow, apple, pin cherry, elm, paper birch, red oak, red maple, and ash 
(404). The adults and larvae closely resemble those of the whitemarked tussock 
moth in form and size, and in the arrangement of the tufts of hairs on the larvae. 
Wingless females are clothed in golden-brown hairs. They lay their eggs in masses 
on the cocoons from which they emerge, covering them with hairs from their. 
bodies. In addition to the conspicuous pencils and tufts of hair, the larva is yellow, 
with a faint dorsal stripe and a black spot behind each of the second and third tufts 
of hair on the abdomen. This species is seldom of economic importance. 
The genus Dasychira is represented in eastern forests by a number of species, a 
few of which are economically important. Adults of the different species are very 
similar in appearance and are difficult to distinguish. In both sexes they are winged, 
and the females are heavy-bodied. The larvae have tufts of hairs characteristic of the 
tussock moth group and their bodies are densely clothed with hairs. In some species 
there is a feathery black hair in each lateral tuft. 
Dasychira basiflava (Packard), the dark tussock moth, is sometimes locally 
common in the Eastern States, where it feeds on various deciduous trees such as 
slippery elm, white oak, beech, flowering dogwood, and hickory. The head of the 
larva is hidden by yellowish clusters of barbed spines, and there are tufts of hairs on 
the first and fourth abdominal segments. Heavy infestations on valuable shade and 
ornamental trees may cause serious damage. It has several natural enemies includ- 
ing parasites and pathogens (655). 
The pine tussock moth, D. pinicola (Dyar), occurs in the Northeastern States 
west to the Lake States and in southeastern Canada. The larvae feed on various 
conifers such as jack, red, and eastern white pines, spruce, and balsam fir. Jack pine 
is especially favored. The moth is gray-brown with lighter and darker stripes across 
the forewings, and has a wingspread of 25 to 37 mm. Full-grown larvae are gray- 
brown and about 37 mm long. There are four tufts of grayish or brownish hairs on 
the dorsum. The first tuft has two black hair pencils on the front and three similar 
ones on the rear. 
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