Synonyms: Hodges #8203, Pale Tussock Moth.
It has long been assumed that adult Banded/Sycamore Tussock Moths are indistinguishable in the field. That is until earlier this year when Joanne Russo posted on BugGuide a side-by-side comparison of the two species' male genitalia (see bugguide.net/node/view/1626407). Note that male Banded Tussock Moths have a clawlike appendage on the distal side of each valval end (known as the apical process) which is longer than the more blunt proximal end (known as the saccular process). This feature is visible after brushing away the scales at the genital opening, and does NOT require dissection (Dave Webb, 2019). Females of the two species are still unidentifiable in the field. If the male's valval end is not readily observed, the species should be labeled as Banded/Sycamore Tussock Moth>.
In Cecil County Josh Emm has documented Banded Tussock caterpillars on American Beech. Other host plants are deciduous tree and shrubs including American Elm, Slippery Elm, Rock Elm, American Basswood, Lowbush Blueberry, American Red Raspberry, Black Cherry, Bristly Locust, Black Locust, Black Oak, Northern Red Oak, Bur Oak, Scarlet Oak, White Oak, Chokecherry, Quaking Aspen, American Sycamore, Hophornbeam, Tulip Poplar, Sweet Gum, Black Walnut, Butternut, American Witch-hazel, Honeylocust, Green Ash, White Ash, Beaked Hazelnut, American Chestnut, Red Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, American Hornbeam, Yellow Birch, Canadian Serviceberry, Mountain Maple, Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, Red Maple, Sycamore Maple, and Box Elder (Database of World's Lepidopteran Host Plants).
There are 524 records in the project database.
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