Communal-behavior

Guides

• Drepana arcuata

  Arched Hooktip Moth, masked birch caterpillar

  Drepana arcuata, commonly known as the arched hooktip moth, is a North American species in the hooktip moth family Drepanidae. Adults are active from mid-May through late July, with one generation per year in northern populations. The species is notable for its larvae, which produce sounds through body vibrations, drumming, scraping mouthparts, and specialized anal structures—possibly to communicate and attract other larvae to communal silk shelters.

  acoustic-communicationcommunal-behaviorsound-productionbirch-feederalder-feederNorth-Americatranscontinental-distributionsingle-generationlarval-aggregation