Half-wing Moth

Description

The Half-Wing has a wingspan of approximately 1.5 inches. The male’s forewings are powdery gray with thick brown wavy lines and thinner black squiggles. The hindwings are light gray with a few darker gray lines. The female is wingless. The caterpillar is gray with black pinstripes the length of the body. There are orange patches at the spiracles. There are fine black hairs on the dorsal side. The head is peppered with black spots. The mature caterpillar grows to approximately 1.4 inches.

Occurrence

The frequency of occurrence is not known. The adults fly in early spring. The individual shown here was photographed at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in early April.

Comments

The larval foodplants are American basswood, American elm, hickories, maples and oaks. There is a single brood in early spring. The caterpillars are new leaf specialists and will not eat old leaves. The eggs are laid in bark crevices and the first instars crawl or balloon on silk threads to foliage on the host trees.

See reference for source of information listed above.