Giant leopard moth
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The giant leopard moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. They are distributed through North America from southern Ontario, and southern and eastern United States through New England, Mexico, and south
Giant leopard moth hypercompe scribonia 3
Larval stage
Caterpillar in typical defensive ball
Caterpillar with typical red stripes
Urticating hair
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Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. Urtica is Latin for "
Giant leopard moth
…bands between its segments, which become conspicuous when the caterpillar rolls into a ball for defense. Like the banded woolly bear, its hairs are not urticant nor venomous and do not typically cause irritation. The moth overwinters as a caterpillar, often under the bark of decaying wood. The caterpillar grows…
Young Grammostola rosea showing patch of urticating hairs, reflecting a camera flash
Urticating hairs of a stinging nettle
The larvae of Eutricha capensis (family Lasiocampidae) are practically covered with urticating hairs; the most potent are the stiff, short, orange-maroon bands across the thorax.
Larva of Lonomia obliqua, the most toxicologically-significant species, to mammals, of its genus; stings are a medical emergency and require treatment with antivenom.