VOL. 54, NO. 1, JANUARY 1978 
73 
THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-NINTH MEETING 
The 379th meeting was the annual field trip and picnic, held Saturday, 23 April 1977, at 
Martin’s Beach near Half Moon Bay. There were 16 members and 22 guests present. 
People enjoyed insect collecting and lunches barbequed on the beach. The blue skies 
and sunshine nicely complemented the volleyball game that was enjoyed by most of the 
picnic’s participants. — L.G. Bezark, Secretary. 
THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH MEETING 
The 380th meeting was held Friday, 20 May 1977 at 7:45 p.m. in the Morrison Auditorium 
of the California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, with President 
Stecker presiding and 25 members and three guests in attendance. 
The minutes of the meeting held 18 March 1977, and the annual picnic held 23 April 
1977 were summarized. 
The following persons were elected to membership: student members, P.J. Johnson, 
W. Wright, J. Liming, D. Cozzola; regular members, C.E. Hornig, A. Pfuntner. 
On behalf of Dr. A.R. Hardy, Co-editor of the Pan-Pacific Entomologist, the Secretary 
exhibited the new issue of the journal indicating the changes in format, and indicated that 
the journal should be up to date with one of the forthcoming issues. 
Under notes and exhibits, L. Wilcox reported on a female phengodid collected in 
Nevada City, California. The following notes were presented: 
GYPSY MOTH CONFUSION (LEPIDOPTERA, LYMANTRIIDAE). — Subsequent to the 
detection of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus) in San Jose, California, consider¬ 
able publicity resulted. Adults were trapped in 1975 and 1976 with egg masses also being 
found in late 1976. Federal, State, and County agencies received calls from the general 
public, biologists, and even park rangers, on several other species in the belief that they 
were the gypsy moth. The following five lepidopterans have been confused with the 
gypsy moth: 
Pacific tussock moth, Hemerocampa vetusta Boisduval (Lymantriidae): males similar in 
appearance to gypsy moth, but smaller, females wingless. Found in coastal areas at low 
elevations, Pacific Northwest to southern California. The hairy larvae are commonly 
found on many fruit and ornamental trees. 
Oslar’s tussock moth, H. oslari Barnes (Lymantriidae): males almost as large and similar 
in maculation to the gypsy moth, females wingless. Found in the Sierra Nevada and 
eastward. Prefers conifers, particularly Douglas fir. 
California tent caterpillar, Malacosoma caiifornicum (Packard) (Lasiocampidae): both 
sexes of the adults are winged and quite different from the gypsy moth; however, the 
hairy larvae and the cocoons are similar and are often confused with the gypsy moth. The 
species has a wide host range, often including fruit trees and ornamental trees and 
shrubs. The species is widespread in California along with three related species. One of 
these is the Santa Cruz tent caterpillar, Malacosoma ambisimile (Dyar). It is found in the 
Santa Cruz mountains on native trees and shrubs, but has spread to orchards in the Santa 
Clara Valley and the Watsonville area. 
Completely unrelated to the gypsy moth is the California oak moth, Phryganidia 
californica Packard (Dioptidae). The greyish translucent adults are day-fliers and no 
cocoons are formed (the pupae being hanging chrysalids), both characteristic of the 
butterflies. The yellow and black striped larvae are naked, having none of the hairyness of 
the lymantriids or lasiocampids. With mild winters the populations have been heavy the 
last two years in coastal California. Many coast live oaks have been defoliated, and the 
larvae are also destructive on cork oak, holly oak and the deciduous oaks. 
Even more distantly related to the gypsy moth is the mourning cloak butterfly, 
Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus) (Nymphalidae). No confusion with the large, dark-maroon 
adult exists, but the blackish larvae with a row of red spots dorsally is often mistaken for 
the larvae of the gypsy moth. These caterpillars have spines rather than hairs, and are 
gregarious on willows, elms, poplars and hackberries throughout the North Temperate 
Zone. — ROBERT L. LANGSTON, Kensington, California. 
