Agreeable tiger moth

Agreeable Tiger Moth: Beauty in the Wild

The agreeable tiger moth, with its striking white wings, is a true eye-catcher in the insect world. This beautiful moth not only stands out for its unique look but also captivates everybody with its larvae. Let’s dive into the world of this moth with us and explore some interesting facts about it.

Isabella Tiger Moth
Scientific name: Spilosoma congrua
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Spilosoma

Table of Contents

Agreeable tiger moth appearance

The agreeable tiger moth is a common, medium-sized moth. It has a distinctive appearance with a white body with a few black spots. With this look, the species is often mistaken for other 2 common white tiger moths in the US: the Virginian tiger moth and the pink-legged tiger moth. However, you can still distinguish these insects with their unique features.

Unlike the pink-legged tiger moth, the agreeable moth doesn’t have pink legs. It has yellow forelegs instead. Similarity, it has an orange “bib”, which distinguishes it from the Virginia tiger moth.

Agreeable tiger moth (Spilosoma congrua)

The agreeable tiger moth has pronounced black eyes. Its wings are white and covered in a cloud of silky white dust. If you touch them, you can feel this dust on your skin.

The larvae of this moth species, also known as the fall webworm, have a distinctive appearance. They are black with yellow or orange intersegmental rings, which distinguish them from other tiger moth species. They are also covered in bristles, which are generally considered “agreeable” rather than irritating like those of some other species. This means that their bristles are not perceived as causing discomfort or irritation to humans or other organisms that come into contact with them.

Habitat

The agreeable tiger moth is found throughout eastern North America, from the US to Canada. It is most common east of the Great Plains and is mostly absent from the southwest. In Minnesota, it is uncommon in the east and north but absent from the southwestern third of the state.
This moth lives in a wide variety of open and forested habitats, such as dune grasslands on barrier islands, peatlands, longleaf Pine savannas, flatwoods, sandhills, mountains, and hardwood forests.

Diet

The agreeable tiger moth has a plain diet that primarily consists of herbaceous plants. The caterpillars feed on a variety of plants, such as dandelions, plantain, and pigweed. These caterpillars also eat bracket polypore fungus. The adult moths do not eat. However, some moths have been observed consuming various kinds of mushrooms. With this diet, the larvae sequester chemicals called iridoid glycosides from their food plants, which make them bitter and distasteful to predators

Agreeable tiger moth is feeding

Life cycle

The life cycle of the agreeable tiger moth starts with a white and spherical egg. Immediately after hatching, the caterpillars eat their eggshells to obtain the necessary proteins for growth. The larvae come in two color morphs: orange with black stripes separating each segment and black with a continuous red stripe. Each separated segment has black hairs.

After several moltings, they enter the pupal stage. The pupa is black, encased in a cocoon made up of discarded larval hairs. The pupae spend the winter in a cocoon constructed using their own hairs, whereas some tiger moths overwinter as caterpillars.

In the late spring, the adult emerges, finds a mate, and starts a life cycle all over again. The species has one generation per year in Minnesota, with all available records between late May and early July. The lifespan of the agreeable tiger moth is around 7-10 days.

Source feature image: Wikipedia

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Animal Facts 276

We are passionate animal enthusiasts with over a decade of experience studying animals. With a degree in zoology and conservation biology, we've contributed to various research and conservation projects. We're excited to bring you engaging content that highlights the wonders of the animal kingdom. We aim to inspire others to appreciate and protect wildlife through informative content grounded in expertise and passion. Join us as we delve into the captivating world of animals and discover the incredible stories they have to tell.

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