Milkweed Tussock Moth

Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tussock caterpillar or milkweed tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides (Weller et al., 1999). These are retained in adults and deter bats, and presumably other predators, from feeding on them (Hristov and Conner 2005). Only very...