Oak-feeding
Guides
Anisota virginiensis virginiensis
Pink-striped Oakworm
A large, strikingly colored caterpillar found feeding on oak foliage in eastern North America. The larva is black with prominent pink or orange longitudinal stripes and bears a pair of black horn-like projections on the thorax. Adults are furry, tan to reddish-brown moths with reduced mouthparts that do not feed. The subspecies is distinguished from nominate A. virginiensis by geographic range and subtle phenotypic differences.
Antaeotricha osseella
Antaeotricha osseella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, first described by Walsingham in 1889. It is found across eastern and central North America, with records from New York to California. The species has a wingspan of approximately 16–18 mm. Its larvae feed on white oak (Quercus alba) and chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii).
Catocala delilah
Delilah Underwing, Delilah Underwing Moth
Catocala delilah is a medium-sized underwing moth in the family Erebidae, native to the southern and midwestern United States. Adults are active from May to June, with likely one generation per year. The species is distinguished by its grayish-brown forewings with irregular black markings and bright yellowish-orange hindwings with complex black banding patterns. It belongs to a cryptic species complex within the genus Catocala, and was previously considered conspecific with western populations now recognized as separate species.
Catocala desdemona
Desdemona underwing
Catocala desdemona, the Desdemona underwing, is a medium-sized moth in the family Erebidae, first described by Henry Edwards in 1882. This species was formerly treated as a subspecies of Catocala delilah but is now recognized as distinct. It is characterized by cryptic forewings that conceal brightly colored hindwings, a trait shared with other members of the genus Catocala. The species has a southwestern North American distribution extending from the United States into Central America.
Catocala violenta
Catocala violenta is a nocturnal moth in the family Erebidae, part of the diverse underwing moth genus Catocala. Adults fly during mid-summer with a single annual generation. The species occupies a restricted geographic range in the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico, where larvae feed specifically on Gambel's oak.
Chionodes chrysopyla
Chionodes chrysopyla is a small gelechiid moth with a wingspan of 11–13 mm, found in western North America. The species is distinguished by its patterned forewings featuring blackish markings on a whitish-ochreous ground color. Larvae are specialized feeders on several oak species (Quercus), particularly in California and adjacent regions.
Chionodes formosella
spring oak leafroller
Chionodes formosella, commonly known as the spring oak leafroller, is a small gelechiid moth found in eastern North America. The species is named for its larval habit of rolling or tying oak leaves. It is associated primarily with oak species, particularly those in the red oak group. The moth has a wingspan of approximately 16 mm.
Chionodes hapsus
Chionodes hapsus is a small moth in the family Gelechiidae, described by Hodges in 1999. It occurs across the eastern and central United States and southern Ontario, Canada. The species is associated with oak forests, where its larvae feed on white oak and bur oak.
Chionodes powelli
Chionodes powelli is a species of gelechiid moth described by Hodges in 1999. It is distributed across western and southern North America, with records from California, Oregon, and Washington in the west, and from Texas through Florida in the south. The species is notable for its larval association with oaks, specifically three species of western North American Quercus.
Chionodes trichostola
Chionodes trichostola is a gelechiid moth described by Meyrick in 1923. It occurs across western North America from southwestern British Columbia to Texas. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in wingspan, with males measuring approximately 19 mm and females 16 mm. Larvae have been documented feeding on multiple oak species and related plants.
Heliria fitchi
Heliria fitchi is a treehopper species in the family Membracidae, first described by Elmer Darwin Ball in 1925. It is known from the eastern United States and Ontario, Canada. The species has been documented feeding on white oak (Quercus alba).
Himmacia huachucella
Himmacia huachucella is a small moth in the family Depressariidae, described by August Busck in 1908. It is known from Arizona in the southwestern United States. The species has a wingspan of 21–25 mm and exhibits distinctive salmon-ochreous forewings. Larvae feed on specific oak species, including Quercus hypoleucoides and Quercus arizonica.
Smilia fasciata
Smilia fasciata is a North American treehopper species in the family Membracidae, first described in 1843. It is distinguished from its congener Smilia camelus by a lower pronotum and a white stripe rather than a greenish-yellow stripe. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in size, with females reaching approximately 9 mm and males 7–8 mm. It is commonly associated with oak trees across the eastern United States.
Smiliini
Smiliini is a tribe of treehoppers in the family Membracidae, subfamily Smiliinae, containing approximately 6 genera and at least 40 described species. Members are predominantly Nearctic in distribution and primarily feed on trees, with many species associated with oak (Quercus). The tribe was historically defined broadly to include Telamonini, but phylogenetic analysis has reinstated Telamonini as a separate tribe, narrowing the definition of Smiliini. Several genera within Smiliini, including Atymna, Cyrtolobus, Heliria, and Telamona, are not monophyletic.
Symmerista albifrons
White-headed Prominent, Orange-humped Oakworm
Symmerista albifrons, known as the white-headed prominent or orange-humped oakworm, is a moth species in the family Notodontidae. First described by J.E. Smith in 1797, it occurs throughout North America. The species is recognized by its distinctive white head and orange thoracic hump, with larvae that feed on oak foliage. It belongs to a genus of prominents whose caterpillars are important prey items for solitary wasps such as Ammophila procera.
Tolype minta
Southern Tolype Moth
Tolype minta is a species of lappet moth in the family Lasiocampidae, known by the common name Southern Tolype Moth. It was described by Harrison Gray Dyar Jr. in 1927. The species belongs to a genus characterized by distinctive hairy bodies and reduced mouthparts in adults. As a member of Poecilocampinae, it shares traits with related Tolype species including tent-like wing postures at rest.