Texas Lep Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Milkweed Tiger Moth

Euchaetes egle (Drury, 1773)

Tiger Moth Family Arctiidae

(feeding on Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica))

New Braunfels, Comal Co., TX
October 5, 2003 (M Quinn)

Texas County Records for Euchaetes egle

Range: The only member of the genus to occupy Eastern North America

Flight Period: July through October

Larval Host: Milkweed - Asclepias spp.

Caterpillars are gregarious during instars 1-3, solitary in later instars, when marked with bright tufts

Similar Species:

Euchaetes albicosta Texas, AZ

Euchaetes antica    AZ, NM, n. MEX

Euchaetes bolteri Texas - endemic?

Euchaetes castalla    AZ, n. MEX

Euchaetes elegans Texas, southwest

Euchaetes fusca    AZ, NM,

Euchaetes gigantea    AZ, NM, n. MEX

Euchaetes helena Texas, NM

Euchaetes perlevis Texas, southwest

Euchaetes polingi Texas, NM, OK

Euchaetes zella Texas, southwest

Photos:

Larvae: feeding communally - http://bugguide.net/node/view/28064/bgimage

http://bugguide.net/node/view/64606/bgimage

feeding singly -http://bugguide.net/node/view/1755/bgimage

Pupa: http://bugguide.net/node/view/70710/bgimage

Adults: http://bugguide.net/node/view/72813/bgimage

http://www.marylandmoths.com/Html/Arctiidae/Arctiinae/Phaegopterini/Euchaetes_egle.html

Etymology: Euchaetes egle (Drury, 1773)

eu (G). Good, well
chaet, =a, -o (G). Long flowing hair, mane; a bristle
egi, =s (L). A shield, armor

Biography: Dru Drury - Wikipedia

References:

Borror, D.J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. National Press Books, Palo Alto. v + 134 pp.

Drury, D. 1773. Illustrations of Natural History; wherein are exhibited upwards of two hundred and forty figures of exotic insects according to their genera. London, Printed for the author and sold by B. White, Vol. 2, 90 pp. 220 figs., 50 pls.

Dussourd D.E., & R.F. Denno. 1991. Deactivation of plant defense: Correspondence between insect bahavior and secretory canal architecture. Ecology 72(4):1383-1396.

Holland, W.J. 1903. The Moth Book: A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Moths of North America. Doubleday, Page, & Co., N.Y. xxiv + 479 pp.

Hristov, N.L., & W.E. Conner. 2005. Effectiveness of tiger moth (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) chemical defenses against an insectivorous bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Chemoecology 15(2):105-113.

Simmons R.B., & W.E. Conner. 1996. Acoustic cues in defense and courtship of Euchaetes egle Drury and E. bolteri Stretch (Lep., Arctiidae). Journal of Insect Behavior 9: 909–919.

Wagner, D.L. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 496 pp., 1,200+ color photos.

Weller S.J., N.L. Jacobsen, & W.E. Conner. 1999. The evolution of chemical defenses and mating systems in tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Biol J Linn Soc 68:557–578