Subfamily Arctiinae - Tiger and Lichen Moths
Formerly family Arctiidae, this large assemblage also includes footmen, Haploa, and ctenuchid moths.
Live adult moths and caterpillars photographed in the wild at various North American locations.
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Subfamily Arctiinae - Tiger and Lichen Moths
Formerly family Arctiidae, this is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species in three tribes worldwide [2].

The most distinctive feature of the family is a tymbal organ on the metathorax which uses a thin membrane to produce ultrasonic countermeasures against their chief predator's (bats) echolocation system. Larvae of some species use sound along with color aposematically to advertise their inedibility (many species acquire chemical defenses from their hostplants e.g., milkweeds or dogbane.)


Tiger moth caterpillar found at 9650 ft. Flat Tops Wilderness, White River Nat'l Forest, Colorado [3]
Tiger Moths - Tribe Arctiini
Haploa Moth
Haploa lecontei		Haploa reversa
Haploa reversa
Oregon Cycnia Moth
Harnessed Tiger Moth
If disturbed, woolly bear caterpillars will roll into a tight spiral. Common folklore has it that the forthcoming severity of a winter can be predicted by the amount of black on the Isabella tiger moth's caterpillar, the most familiar woolly bear in North America; however the relative width of the black band varies among instars, not according to weather (Wagner 2005). Isabella tiger moths (Pyrrharctia isabella) overwinter in the caterpillar stage. They can survive freezing at moderate subzero temperatures by producing a cryo-protectant chemical (Layne and Kuharsky 2000).

Delicate Cycnia		Yellow-collared Scape Moth
Yellow-collared Scape Moth		Yellow Bear Caterpillar
Yellow Bear Caterpillar		Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar - Euchaetes egle
Milkweed Tussock Moth

Virginia Ctenuchid Moth
Virginia Ctenuchid Cat
Woolly Bear Caterpillar
References
  1. United States Geological Survey, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests
  2. Bugguide.net, "Subfamily Arctiinae"
  3. Bugguide.net "Tiger Moth Caterpillar"

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