Tussock-moths
Guides
Dasychira
tussock moths
Dasychira is a genus of tussock moths in the family Erebidae, established by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The genus has a broad geographic distribution spanning Africa, Europe, North America, Madagascar, Japan, China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Java, and Australia. Several species are economically significant as defoliating pests of cultivated plants including oil palm, tea, and black wattle, with some species capable of outbreak population dynamics. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including porrect palpi with heavily haired second joints and sexually dimorphic antennae.
Erebidae
Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths
Erebidae is among the largest families of moths by species count, encompassing diverse macromoth groups formerly classified across multiple families. The family includes underwings (Catocala), tiger moths and wasp moths (Arctiinae), tussock moths (Lymantriinae), litter moths (Herminiinae), fruit-piercing moths (Calpinae), and snout moths (Hypeninae). Adults range dramatically in size from 6 mm to over 300 mm wingspan. Coloration spans from cryptic browns and grays to vivid aposematic patterns. The family was reconstituted in 2010 through phylogenetic studies that revealed the former Noctuidae to be paraphyletic, with Arctiinae, Lymantriinae, and related lineages more closely related to each other than to core noctuids.
Euerythra
specter moths
Euerythra is a genus of arctiine tussock moths in the family Erebidae, erected by Leon F. Harvey in 1876. The genus contains three described species, commonly known as specter moths, found in North America. These moths are characterized by distinctive wing patterns and, in at least one species, prominent red coloration on the abdomen.
Euproctis
tussock moths
Euproctis is a genus of tussock moths in the family Erebidae, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution across the Palearctic, African, Oriental, and Australian regions. Molecular phylogenetic studies indicate the genus is paraphyletic, comprising numerous unrelated lineages that require taxonomic revision. Some species are significant agricultural and forest pests, including Euproctis pseudoconspersa (tea tussock moth) and Euproctis chrysorrhoea (brown-tail moth).
Gynaephora
Arctic woolly bear moths, grassland caterpillars (Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau species)
A genus of tussock moths (Lymantriinae: Erebidae) distributed across the Holarctic in alpine, Arctic, and Subarctic regions. Best known for exceptionally slow larval development, with some species requiring multiple years to complete their life cycle. Females are flightless or nearly so, while males are strong fliers that actively search for mates. The genus includes both Arctic species (e.g., G. groenlandica, G. rossii) and high-altitude Asian species (e.g., G. alpherakii, G. menyuanensis) that are significant pests of alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Lymantriinae
Tussock Moths
Lymantriinae is a subfamily of moths within Erebidae, comprising approximately 350 genera and over 2,500 species. Members are commonly known as tussock moths, referring to the distinctive tufted appearance of their caterpillars. The subfamily has a cosmopolitan distribution absent only from Antarctica, with notable concentrations in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America. Many species are significant forest defoliators, including economically important pests such as the spongy moth (Lymantria dispar).
Purius
Purius is a genus of arctiine tussock moths in the family Erebidae, established by Francis Walker in 1855. The genus contains two described species: Purius pilumnia (originally described by Stoll in 1780) and Purius superpulverea (described by Dyar in 1925). As members of the subfamily Arctiinae, these moths possess the characteristic features of tiger moths and tussock moths, though specific details of their biology remain poorly documented in available literature.