Estigmene acrea
| Salt Marsh Moth | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Arctiidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Estigmene |
| Species: | E. acrea |
| Binomial name | |
| Estigmene acrea (Drury, 1773) |
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The Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth (Estigmene acrea) is a North American moth. It is in the family Arctiidae. The caterpillar is known as the Salt Marsh Caterpillar.
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Description [change]
The head and thorax are white. The abdomen is yellow-orange with a row of black spots. The fore wing (the top wing) is white with a variable amount of black spots (some individuals do not have these spots). The hind wing (the bottom wing) is yellow-orange in males. It is white in females. Both sexes have 3-4 black spots or blotches on their hind wings. The wingspan ranges from 4.5 to 6.8 cm.[1]
Flight [change]
This moth may be seen from May to August.[1] It is seen all year in southern Florida and southern Texas.[2]
Life cycle [change]
The eggs are a yellowish color. They are laid in clusters on the host plant leaves. The Salt Marsh Caterpillar is highly variable in color. It ranges from pale yellow to dark brownish-black. It has many soft hairs. The hairs are longer towards the end of the body. The thoracic and abdominal segments have a few rows of either orange or black warts. The chrysalis hibernates in a cocoon.[2]
Host plants [change]
Here is a list of host plants that the Salt Marsh Caterpillar feeds on:
- Cabbage
- Cotton
- Juglans sp. - walnut
- Malus domestica - Apple
- Nicotiana tabacum - Tobacco
- Pisum sativum - Pea
- Solanum tuberosum - Potato
- Trifolium sp. - clover
- Zea mays - Corn[1][2]
References [change]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Estigmene acrea |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Charles V. Covell, Jr. (2005). Moths of Eastern North America. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA. ISBN 1-884549-21-7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 David L. Wagner (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0-691-12144-3
