Fall Webworm Moth

Hyphantria cunea

The Fall Webworm Moth is a fuzzy little insect that loves to spin big webs in trees. These webs can look like fluffy cotton candy and are home to many caterpillars that turn into beautiful moths.

Lebensraum: Forests

Aussehen

The Fall Webworm Moth has a fuzzy, stout white body and mostly pure white wings, though some individuals exhibit small, scattered black spots. It is visually distinct from most other white moths by its hairiness and often unblemished white appearance.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieErebidaeGattungHyphantria

Fall Webworm Moth

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Caterpillars of this moth can be either black-headed or red-headed, but they are both the same species!

Even though their caterpillars make enormous webs, the adult moths themselves only live for about 5-10 days.

Female Fall Webworm Moths can lay over 500 tiny eggs at once, all tucked neatly under a leaf.

The huge webs they build can completely cover tree branches, looking like spooky ghost costumes in the fall!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Fall Webworm Moth caterpillars can spin enormous communal silk webs that protect them from predators and the weather as they feed.

Fall Webworm Moth caterpillars can eat leaves from over 100 different kinds of trees, making them adaptable to many habitats.

Fall Webworm Moths can complete two or more life cycles in a single warm season, helping their populations grow quickly.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 25-40 mm
Größe: 10-15 mm
Lebenserwartung: 5-10 Tage
Anzahl der Beine: 6
Koloniegröße: 800

Ernährung und Fütterung

As caterpillars, they munch on leaves from many different kinds of trees!

Altersunterschiede: Adult moths typically do not feed or only sip nectar; all the extensive eating happens in the caterpillar stage.

Hauptnahrung

Apple leaves
Cherry leaves
Walnut leaves
Pecan leaves
Elm leaves
Maple leaves

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Black Cherry

Prunus serotina

Their caterpillars munch on these leaves.

eaten by

Pecan

Carya illinoinensis

A favorite food source for the web-building caterpillars.

eats

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Birds often feed on the caterpillars, despite the web protection.

parasitizes

Tobacco Hornworm Parasitoid Wasp

Cotesia congregata

Lays eggs inside the caterpillars, which then develop inside them.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Netzbauer

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Organismen, die kunstvolle Seidennetze bauen, um Beute zu fangen, Schutz zu finden oder sich fortzupflanzen.

Pflanzenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Lebewesen, deren Ernährung vollständig oder hauptsächlich aus pflanzlichem Material besteht.

Wald

Waldlebensräume sind terrestrische Lebensräume, die von dichtem Baumbestand dominiert werden und eine große Vielfalt an Pflanzen- und Tierarten beherbergen.