Phobetron pithecium
{{Short description|Species of moth}}
{{About|Phobetron pithecium|Lithacodes fasciola, also known as the ochre-winged hag moth|Yellow shouldered slug}}
{{Redirect|Monkey slug|the other moth with this common name|Phobetron hipparchia{{!}}Phobetron hipparchia}}
{{Speciesbox
| name =
| image = Phobetron_pithecium_larva.jpg
| image2 = - 4677 – Phobetron pithecium – Hag (Monkey Slug) Moth (Limacodidae - Slug Caterpillar Moths).jpg
| taxon = Phobetron pithecium
| authority = (JE Smith, 1797)
}}
Phobetron pithecium, the hag moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae. Its larva is known as the monkey slug.
Life cycle
One generation a year occurs in the north, but two or more happen in the southern United States.{{cite book|last=Wagner|first=David L.|authorlink=David L. Wagner|year=2010|title=Caterpillars of Eastern North America|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1400834143|page=44}}
=Larva=
Image:Phob pith.JPG Image:PhobUnderside.JPG
The larva is distinctive, with no close analogues, although it may be mistaken for the shed skin of a hairy spider or leaf debris. It has nine pairs of curly projections or tubercles of varying lengths from the flattened body, each densely covered in hairs. The third, fifth and seventh projection are often longer than the others.{{Cite journal|last=Diaz|first=James H.|date=2005-03-01|title=THE EVOLVING GLOBAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, SYNDROMIC CLASSIFICATION, MANAGEMENT, AND PREVENTION OF CATERPILLAR ENVENOMING|url=https://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.2005.72.347|journal=The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene|language=en|volume=72|issue=3|pages=347–357|doi=10.4269/ajtmh.2005.72.347|issn=0002-9637|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}} The caterpillar has been reported to cause irritation to humans. {{Cite web|last=Young|first=Lauren|date=2016-10-18|title=Watch This Strange-Looking Monkey Slug Take Over a Mailbox|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/watch-this-strangelooking-monkey-slug-take-over-a-mailbox|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en}} Like all limacodids, the legs are shortened and the prolegs are reduced to suction cups. The "arms" or tubercles can fall off without harming the caterpillar, aiding the larva in defense. The larvae are {{convert|1.5-2.5|cm|in|abbr=}} in length.
It is solitary and is not a very significant agricultural threat, but it is a common sight in orchards.
=Pupa=
This species pupates in a cup-shaped cocoon with a circular escape hatch.
=Adult=
File:Phobetron pithecium (44227407835).jpg
The adult moth has a wingspan up to {{convert|3|cm|in}}. The male has translucent wings, and the female is drab brown and gray, with yellow scales on her legs. The day-flying female is said to mimic a bee, complete with pollen sacs, and the male mimics a wasp.
Food plants
Larvae live on the underside of the leaves of, and feeds on, a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, such as apple, ash, birch, cherry, chestnut, dogwood, hickory, oak, persimmon, walnut, and willow.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons|Phobetron pithecium|Phobetron pithecium}}
- [http://bugguide.net/node/view/257 BugGuide] Photos
- [http://www.marylandmoths.com/Html/Limacodidae/Phobetron_pithecium.html Moths of Maryland] Large photos of adults
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Phobetron Pithecium}}