Tag: Notodontidae

2026 Caterpillar Season – Angle-lined Prominent

2026 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Angle-lined Prominent
Clostera inclusa (Hübner, 1831), fam. Notodontidae, P-no. 930004
Host plants: Feeds on birch (Betulaceae) and willows (Salix spp.).
Date found(s): August 22, 2026
Location(s) found: Meramec State Park, Franklin County, MO
Notes: Unlike the closely related sigmoid prominent, the angle-lined prominent is typically gregarious. They are usually found in groups of 2–20 individuals during the day, wrapped within shelters produced from living leaves spun together with their silk. Find these by looking for these leaf shelters on willows or by hunting at night when they are more likely to be found feeding in the open.

2026 Caterpillar Season – Black-etched Prominent

2026 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Black-etched Prominent
Americerura scitiscripta (Walker, 1865), fam. Notodontidae, P-no. 930030
Host plants: Feeds on members of the Salicaceae Family, including poplars (Populus spp.) and willows (Salix spp.).
Date found(s): 26 August, 2026
Location(s) found: Logger’s Lake, Shannon County, MO
Notes: The WGNSS group came upon the individual pictured here in Shannon County in August of 2026. When it realized we discovered it, we were in for a short but thrilling experience. The caterpillar arched its long anal prolegs over its back, extruded the yellow and red portions thereby doubling their length, and then thrashed them about wildly in an obvious attempt to threaten and dissuade us. Unfortunately, this act lasted merely seconds, and it could not be coaxed into a repeat performance after we had set it up for photographs. If this method of dissuasion does not do the trick, the caterpillar can spray acid from a gland in its thorax.

2026 Caterpillar Season – Harvey’s Prominent

2026 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Harvey’s Prominent
Litodonta hydromeli (Harvey, 1876) P-no. 930060, fam. Notodontidae
Host plant(s): Found on gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum)
Date(s) found: 20 June, 2026
Locations found: Victoria Glade Conservation Area
Notes: I know I’ve shared this species on a number of occasions, like here, here, and here, but I can’t get enough of these fascinating little ones. Based on the antler-like prothoracic scoli and integument coloration and pattern, I believe these two, found during a WGNSS trip, are a third and second instar.

2026 Caterpillar Season – Double-toothed Prominent

2026 Caterpillar Season, Caterpillars of Tyson Research Center, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Double-toothed Prominent
Nerice bidentata (Walker, 1855) P-no. 930018, fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Dates found: 24 May, 2026
Locations found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: A master of camouflage. The double-toothed dorsal keel and the oblique subdorsal lines matching the leaf veins do a great job in blending into the leaf on which they feed and breaking up the form of a caterpillar.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Contracted Datana

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Contracted Datana
Datana contracta fam. Notodontidae
Host plant: Oak
Dates found: 16 September, 2025
Locations found: Not recorded
Notes: Caterpillars of the genus Datana are easily recognized. They have the same basic body plan of long hair-like setae giving them a fuzzy appearance. They are all gregarious, being found in groups of up to hundreds of individuals. When disturbed, they react by throwing their heads and posteriors upwards, forming a “U” shape.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Black-blotched Prominent

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Black-blotched Prominent Moth
Oedemasia leptinoides fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#8011)
Host plants: Found on hickories (Carya sp)
Dates found: 6, 27 September, 2025
Locations found: Babler State Park, St. Louis County, MO; Caney Mountain Conservation Area, Ozark County, MO
Notes: Note the seven tachinid fly eggs on the individual on left side below. Individuals infested with these endoparasitoids are doomed and will not make it to the adult stage.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Humped Oakworm

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, WGNSS Field Trips, wildlife, wildlife photography

Humped Oakworm Moth
Symmerista sp. fam. Notodontidae
Host plant(s): Found on oak (Quercus sp.)
Date(s) and location(s): 18 September, 2025 – Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO; 27-September, 2025 – Caney Mountain Conservation Area, Ozark County, MO
Notes: Caterpillars of S. canicosta (red-humped oakworm) and S. albifrons (white-headed prominent) are indistinguishable as larvae and are so similar as adults that the only way to distinguish the two is by dissecting the genitalia. Both species are found in Missouri and both feed on the same host plants – beech, chestnut and oaks (any members of the Fagaceae).

2025 Caterpillar Season – Unicorn Caterpillar Moth

2025 Caterpillar Season, Caterpillars of Tyson Research Center, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Unicorn Caterpillar Moth
Coelodasys unicornis fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#8007)
Host plant(s): redbud, hackberry, willow
Date(s) and location(s): 30 August, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO; 06 September 2025 – Babler State Park, St. Louis County, MO; 15-September, 2025 – Creve Coeur Lake Park, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Previous to this year, I assumed this species was an oak/hickory specialist. This is obviously not the case. This species is polyphagous and I was surprised at how many I found on willows this year. Look closely at the upper right photo in this gallery for signs that this individual was parasitized.

2025 Caterpillar Season – White-dotted Prominent

2025 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

White-dotted Prominent
Nadata gibbosa fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7915)
Host plant(s): Found on white oak (Quercus alba)
Date(s) and location(s): 25 September, 2025 – Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO
Notes: When threatened, caterpillars of this species curl their heads over their bodies exposing their large yellow, black-tipped mandibles.

2025 Caterpillar Season – Oblique Heterocampa

2025 Caterpillar Season, Caterpillars of Tyson Research Center, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Oblique Heterocampa
Heterocampa obliqua fam. Notodontidae (Hodges#7983)
Host plant(s): Found on chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
Date(s) and location(s): 13 September, 2025 – Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: An oak specialist.