Defensive-venom
Guides
Megalopygidae
New World Flannel Moths, Flannel Moths, Crinkled Flannel Moths
Megalopygidae is a family of moths occurring in North America and the New World tropics, with larvae commonly known as puss caterpillars or asps. The caterpillars are covered in long, soft hairs that conceal hollow venomous spines capable of delivering severe stings. The family contains two subfamilies in the United States: Megalopyginae (genus Megalopyge, 7 species) and Trosiinae (genera Norape and Trosia, 5 species). The venom system is unique among Lepidoptera, consisting of aerolysin-like pore-forming toxins called megalysins that were recruited via horizontal gene transfer from bacteria.