Limacodidae

Limacodidae occur worldwide with around 1800 described species and many more undescribed. They mostly occur in the tropics. They are called cup moths because of the cup-like shape of the cocoons when missing their lids after adults emerge; the other common names (see above) refer to the distinctive and often painfully urticating caterpillars. In Australia we have about 70 species. The caterpillars vary in degrees of flatness from round or square in cross-section to flat and often appear to be slug-like. They need to be treated with caution as they are often armed with stinging, Adapted from Stehr et al. (1987), Epstein (1996) and Epstein et al. (1999). Head: The head capsule is nearly always inconspicuous and concealed. When the head is withdrawn, the Thorax: The thoracic legs are relatively small to minute. The first thoracic segment is extended to cover the head (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Its Abdomen: The In the Chrysopolominae, the THE FOLLOWING THREE SPECIES IN THE SUBFAMILY LIMACODINAE AREOF BIOSECURITY CONCERN TO NORTHERN AUSTRALIA Subfamily Limacodinae Characteristics of this subfamily are as follows (Epstein et al. 1999): • Typically feed on many foodplants • Variable in form. Many urticating species with spines on • • • T1 with only • Thoracic legs small to minute. • Suckers instead of Taeda (= Pantoctenia) and Crothaema. • Setora nitens (Limacodinae) (needle Description (Fig. 2) Mature caterpillars are usually green but can also be orange, red and other colours. This colo...

Common Name: Slug caterpillar moths Description: Small to medium-sized moths with a stout body and a dense covering of hairs and scales. Front wings, held tent-like over the body, are usually dark brown and marked with an irregular spot of contrasting color. Antennae of male are bipectinate. Larvae are fleshy and slug-like with stinging hairs. They move by gliding on sucker-like prolegs.

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common name: saddleback caterpillar scientific name: Acharia stimulea (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Acharia stimulea (Clemens) is a limacodid moth, or slug moth, best known for its larval growth phase. Distinct bright color patterns and the presence of venomous, urticating spines lead to its recognition as the saddleback caterpillar. It is native to a large range in the eastern United States and able to feed on a wide array of host plant species. This species can survive well in northern temperate areas and warmer southern climates. The saddleback caterpillar is encountered most frequently as a medically significant pest, and has minor effects in landscaping and agriculture. Figure 1. Mature larvae of the saddleback caterpillar, Acharia stimulea (Clemens). Photograph by Empretia stimulea Clemens Limacodes ephippiatus Harris Sibine stimulea (Clemens) Acharia stimulea (Clemens) (Dyar and Morton 1896) Acharia stimulea has a wide range in the eastern United States, occurring as far southward as Florida, northward to New York and Massachusetts, and westward to Texas, Indiana and Kansas (Snow 1875, Darlington 1952, Niesenbaum 1992, Landau and Prowell 1999, Heppner 2003, Covell 2005, Wagner 2005). Figure 2. State level distribution of Acharia stimulea (Clemens) in United States. Adults: Acharia stimulea adults are glossy dark brown in color with black shading. Dense scales are present on the body and wings, giving it a furry appearance. Wing span ranges from 26–43...

Caissa kashungii sp. n. and Squamosa wungchanngamii sp. n. are described as new Limacodidae from India. These new species are illustrated with images of the adults and male genitalia and compared with similar species. Additionally, three species S. chalcites Orhant, 2000, Cania (Paracania) robusta Hering, 1931 and Rhamnosa (Rhamnosa) convergens Hering, 1931 are recorded as new to India from Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Diagnosis and distribution are provided for all taxa listed and the males and their genitalia are illustrated. Introduction The Limacodidae are a diverse group of moths and mainly constitute tropical and subtropical species. The family comprises about 1672 species under 301 genera (van Nieukerken et al., 2011). The Indian Limacodidae is poorly studied, and review of published literature (Hampson, 1892; Hampson, 1900; Dudgeon, 1900, Hering, 1931, Hering, 1933, Holloway, 1986, Holloway et al., 1987, Rose, 2004, Solovyev, 2009, Solovyev, 2014a, Solovyev, 2014; Solovyev, 2014b; Solovyev and Witt, 2009, Katewa and Pathania, 2019, Singh et al., 2021) estimates the presence of about 157 species in India. The genus Caissa Hering, 1931 was described for its type species C. caissa Hering, 1931 from Khasis [Khasis hills, Meghalaya, India] along with C. gambita Hering, 1931 from Travancore [South India] and Khasis [North-East India]. Yoshimoto (1994) described C. medialis from Nepal. Orhant (2000) discovered C. parenti from Myanmar. Wu and Fang (2008) added two furthe...

common name: saddleback caterpillar scientific name: Acharia stimulea (Clemens) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) Acharia stimulea (Clemens) is a limacodid moth, or slug moth, best known for its larval growth phase. Distinct bright color patterns and the presence of venomous, urticating spines lead to its recognition as the saddleback caterpillar. It is native to a large range in the eastern United States and able to feed on a wide array of host plant species. This species can survive well in northern temperate areas and warmer southern climates. The saddleback caterpillar is encountered most frequently as a medically significant pest, and has minor effects in landscaping and agriculture. Figure 1. Mature larvae of the saddleback caterpillar, Acharia stimulea (Clemens). Photograph by Empretia stimulea Clemens Limacodes ephippiatus Harris Sibine stimulea (Clemens) Acharia stimulea (Clemens) (Dyar and Morton 1896) Acharia stimulea has a wide range in the eastern United States, occurring as far southward as Florida, northward to New York and Massachusetts, and westward to Texas, Indiana and Kansas (Snow 1875, Darlington 1952, Niesenbaum 1992, Landau and Prowell 1999, Heppner 2003, Covell 2005, Wagner 2005). Figure 2. State level distribution of Acharia stimulea (Clemens) in United States. Adults: Acharia stimulea adults are glossy dark brown in color with black shading. Dense scales are present on the body and wings, giving it a furry appearance. Wing span ranges from 26–43...

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content. Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information. Everything else copyright © 2003-2023 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted. Bugguide is hosted by:

Common Name: Slug caterpillar moths Description: Small to medium-sized moths with a stout body and a dense covering of hairs and scales. Front wings, held tent-like over the body, are usually dark brown and marked with an irregular spot of contrasting color. Antennae of male are bipectinate. Larvae are fleshy and slug-like with stinging hairs. They move by gliding on sucker-like prolegs.

Caissa kashungii sp. n. and Squamosa wungchanngamii sp. n. are described as new Limacodidae from India. These new species are illustrated with images of the adults and male genitalia and compared with similar species. Additionally, three species S. chalcites Orhant, 2000, Cania (Paracania) robusta Hering, 1931 and Rhamnosa (Rhamnosa) convergens Hering, 1931 are recorded as new to India from Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Diagnosis and distribution are provided for all taxa listed and the males and their genitalia are illustrated. Introduction The Limacodidae are a diverse group of moths and mainly constitute tropical and subtropical species. The family comprises about 1672 species under 301 genera (van Nieukerken et al., 2011). The Indian Limacodidae is poorly studied, and review of published literature (Hampson, 1892; Hampson, 1900; Dudgeon, 1900, Hering, 1931, Hering, 1933, Holloway, 1986, Holloway et al., 1987, Rose, 2004, Solovyev, 2009, Solovyev, 2014a, Solovyev, 2014; Solovyev, 2014b; Solovyev and Witt, 2009, Katewa and Pathania, 2019, Singh et al., 2021) estimates the presence of about 157 species in India. The genus Caissa Hering, 1931 was described for its type species C. caissa Hering, 1931 from Khasis [Khasis hills, Meghalaya, India] along with C. gambita Hering, 1931 from Travancore [South India] and Khasis [North-East India]. Yoshimoto (1994) described C. medialis from Nepal. Orhant (2000) discovered C. parenti from Myanmar. Wu and Fang (2008) added two furthe...

Limacodidae occur worldwide with around 1800 described species and many more undescribed. They mostly occur in the tropics. They are called cup moths because of the cup-like shape of the cocoons when missing their lids after adults emerge; the other common names (see above) refer to the distinctive and often painfully urticating caterpillars. In Australia we have about 70 species. The caterpillars vary in degrees of flatness from round or square in cross-section to flat and often appear to be slug-like. They need to be treated with caution as they are often armed with stinging, Adapted from Stehr et al. (1987), Epstein (1996) and Epstein et al. (1999). Head: The head capsule is nearly always inconspicuous and concealed. When the head is withdrawn, the Thorax: The thoracic legs are relatively small to minute. The first thoracic segment is extended to cover the head (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Its Abdomen: The In the Chrysopolominae, the THE FOLLOWING THREE SPECIES IN THE SUBFAMILY LIMACODINAE AREOF BIOSECURITY CONCERN TO NORTHERN AUSTRALIA Subfamily Limacodinae Characteristics of this subfamily are as follows (Epstein et al. 1999): • Typically feed on many foodplants • Variable in form. Many urticating species with spines on • • • T1 with only • Thoracic legs small to minute. • Suckers instead of Taeda (= Pantoctenia) and Crothaema. • Setora nitens (Limacodinae) (needle Description (Fig. 2) Mature caterpillars are usually green but can also be orange, red and other colours. This colo...