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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Erebidae 930316 – 8137   Spilosoma virginica (Fabricius, 1798)              Virginian Tiger Moth

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Larva and Host Plants: Host familiy: Adoxaceae[Caprifoliaceae] Alliaceae[Liliaceae] Amaranthaceae[Chenopodiaceae] Anacardiaceae Apiaceae Araceae Araliaceae Asparagaceae[Liliaceae] Asteraceae Betulaceae Brassicaceae Cannaceae Caprifoliace..  Host genera: Acer Alcea Agaricus[Fungi] Allium Alnus Althaea Amaranthus Ambrosia Apium Arachis Aralia Arctium Asparagus Beta Betula Bidens Brassica Calendula Canna Carya Castanea Chenopodium Chrysanthemum Citrullu...  Notes: larval hosts include more than 43 families of woody & herbaceous dicotyledonous & monocotyledonous angiosperms (Powell & Opler 2009); Polyphagous on trees and shrubs (Wagner et al 1997); generalist on...  (Shropshire & Douglas 2025) Similar Species: Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.) Synonymy: virginica (Fabricius, 1798) (Bombyx) - MONA 1983: 8137 fumosa Strecker, 1900 (Spilosoma)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history) Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 47.24m; p. 270. Book Review and ordering Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online) Species Page at Block Island Moths Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum Species Page at Mass Moths Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths Species Page at iNaturalist

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