page_title: Lophocampa caryae
section_title: Larva
hierarchical_section_title: Lophocampa caryae / Life cycle / Larva
caption_attribution_description: English: Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae) caterpillar.
context_page_description: Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tiger moth, hickory tussock moth, or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species is widely distributed in the eastern half of North America. Like most species in its family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants, so they are potentially toxic or unpalatable, but there is evidence that this species may also be venomous, though no venom has yet been isolated or identified. The behaviour and aposematic coloration of the larvae suggests chemical protection in this stage, although they have not been analyzed for alkaloid or cardenolide content, nor have the adults.
context_section_description: The larva, a caterpillar, is completely covered in long, hairlike setae arranged in spreading tufts. Most are white, but there are black tufts along the middle of the back, and four long black hair pencils, two near the front, and two near the back.  There are black spots along the sides, and the head capsule is black. The hairs cause itchy rashes (contact dermatitis) in many people, particularly those prone to allergies, and may resemble exposure to urushiol. They are microscopically barbed and may rarely cause serious medical complications if they are transferred from the hands to the eyes, but in over 350 documented cases, most were asymptomatic within 24 hours, and none involved anaphylaxis.
  The later-instar caterpillars are seen between July to October. They feed in groups of about 100 or so in the early instars, skeletonizing leaves. Older larvae are solitary. They grow up to 4.5 centimeters long before pupating.
caption: Caterpillar (top view)
exif: {"Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D3300", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "darktable 2.6.2", "Image DateTime": "2019:10:13 13:30:08", "Image HostComputer": "Linux 5.0.0-31-generic", "Image Rating": "1", "Image Tag 0x4749": "20", "Image ExifOffset": "296", "Image DateTimeOriginal": "2019:09:27 11:40:55", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/100", "EXIF FNumber": "11", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "900", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2019:09:27 11:40:55", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2019:09:27 11:40:55", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, return light detected", "EXIF FocalLength": "55", "EXIF Tag 0x9216": "[1, 0, 0, 0]", "EXIF SubSecTime": "90", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "90", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "90", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3081", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2000", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "82", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "High gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}