Filament Bearer – Nematocampa linbata

Filament Bearer – Nematocampa linbata Common Name: Filament Bearer, bordered thorn or horned spanworm moth, Latin Name: Nematocampa linbata Appearance:

• The male’s forewing length is 3/8′′ to 9/16′′ (10–14 mm). Wings, ground color, and patterns vary. Forewings are generally rounded or angled. The ground is usually yellowish or pale. A black spot in the ST area usually goes from the darker part in the middle to the lighter part on the outside.
• The caterpillar is 3/4′′ (2 cm) long and easily visible. Dark, medium and light brown mottling covers a yellow-to-brown ground. The first and second abdominal segments have two coiled, extended, white-tipped tentacles (filaments).

Host plants: Various deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs, such as “Pseudotsuga, “Picea, Salix, Tsuga, Abies, Betula papyrifera,” “Corylus,” and “Fragaria,” are fed by larvae. Territory: It is found in North America, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and south to Florida and California. Life history and habitat:  The caterpillar’s body is frequently coiled on an upper leaf surface. This is said to resemble a falling flower and its stamens. It expands the filaments to twice their original length when it is scared. The adult will occasionally rest on the upper side of a leaf, where it will look like a dead leaf, on the underside of a leaf, where it will look like a slow patch, or on the ground among the leaf litter, where it will blend in with the surroundings.