Halysidota tessellaris
species of insect
Halysidota tessellaris, also called the pale tiger moth, banded tussock moth, and tessellated halisidota, is in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. Like many related species, adult moths have chemical defenses acquired from its host plants, in this case, alkaloids. Larval behaviors suggest that they are chemically protected; they have not been analyzed for alkaloid content.
Range
This moth is found in North America from southern Canada south through Texas and central Florida.
Life cycle
One generation per year occurs in the north, and two or more occur in the south.
Egg
Eggs are laid in masses on the undersides of leaves.
Larva
Caterpillars are covered with long setae, in tufts. They vary from yellowish and orange through dark gray. Extra long hair-pencils of white, black, and/or orange occur at both the front and rear of a caterpillar.
“Halysidota tessellaris” enters the record as species of insect. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Halysidota, tessellaris and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Halysidota tessellaris” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Halysidota, tessellaris and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1763125. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1797.
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This entry incorporates text from “Halysidota tessellaris” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.