Rusty Tussock Moth, Vapourer moth caterpillar, Orgyia antiqua
The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer, Orgyia antiqua, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae that is native to Europe, but now transcontinental in distribution in the Palaearctic and the Nearctic regions. The orange-brown male flies mostly during the day, but the female is flightless, spending her brief life attached to her cocoon. The hairy caterpillar is spectacular, with "humps", "horns" and a "tail" in a combination of dark grey, red and yellow. It feeds on a wide range of broad-leaved trees and shrubs, and may reach pest proportions in forests and cities. There is a striking dimorphism between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth typically has orange- to red-brown (ochreous red and dark brown) wings; each forewing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae. The wingspan measures between 35 -38 mm The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless; she is light grey-brown (ochreous grey), has "shortly bipectinate" antennae, and a swollen abdomen.
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Photo credit: © Scenics & Science / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: antiqua, caterpillar, colourful, dimorphism, horns, itchy, moth, orgyia, rusty, tufts, tussock, vapourer
