The Nais Tiger Moth has a total length of approximately 3/4 inch. The forewings are black with bold yellow lines. The hindwings may be yellow to reddish with a wide black terminal band which usually is broken into a fragmented row of black spots. This moth is almost identical to Carlotta’s Tiger Moth (Apanatesis carlotta) and was previously identified by BugGuide experts as that species. The caterpillars are dull red or black with black spiky hairs. They are secretive and fast moving and hide in curled leaves or cling to the under side of leaves.
The frequency of occurrence in this area is not known. It has been photographed once coming to lights at Camp Brewster, Fontenelle Forest in late April, 2012. It flies from April to October. It occurs from Quebec and Maine south to Florida and west to Texas and South Dakota.
The caterpillars eat the leaves of low growing plants including clover, various grasses, plantain and violet. The only foolproof method of identifying this species is to dissect and examine the genitalia. However, using the sum of typical characteristics can produce a reasonably probable identification. Thanks to all the BugGuide experts who arrived at this conclusion (Paul Dennehy, Chris Schmidt and Jason Roberts).
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