Page 481 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Epicopeiidae
DIS
DISTRIBUTION Northeastern India, Bhutan, and southwestern China
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
HABIT
HABITAT T Open forests
A
HABITAT
HOST PLANTS
HOS T PLANT S Unknown
HOST PLANTS
NO TE Powdery, white caterpillar that feeds high in the canopy
NOTE
NOTE
A
A
TUS
TION S
T
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERV
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but seasonally common
ADULT WINGSPAN
2 ⁄ –3 in (65–75 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (40 mm)
NOSSA MOOREI
NOSSA MOOREI 479
(ELWES, 1890)
Nossa moorei caterpillars feed high in the forest canopy, their
presence only revealed by the constant raining of frass at ground
level. The species belongs to Epicopeiidae, a small family of
Oriental tropical and subtropical moths about which very little is

known. Its members are day- ying, butter y-mimicking moths,
some of which are brightly colored and tailed. Typical of this
moth family, the caterpillars are covered in white occulence,

which is later incorporated into a waxy cocoon.

The larvae can occur in very large numbers in short windows of
time, with the adult moths eclosing spontaneously to maximize
reproductive vigor. This species and other members of the genus

Nossa closely resemble butter ies of the Pieridae family and,
like pierids, can be observed soaring high in the forest canopy.
In southern China, adult moths are on the wing in early summer,
with masses of defoliating larvae reaching maturity by October.

Actual size
The Nossa moorei caterpillar is uniformly cylindrical
and white with a coarse, powdery, textured skin. There
are multiple ne setae throughout, and each segment
is topped with a downy tuft of white u , more evident
on the thoracic and rear segments. The head is black,
large, and round. The same black texture is duplicated
on the rear segment and claspers. The crochets of the
prolegs are particularly prominent.