Large Tolype Moth

Tolype velleda · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lasiocampidae

Also called: Large Tolype

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The caterpillars eat many broadleaf trees and shrubs, stripping leaves from garden and forest plants.

Source: Wikipedia

Large Tolype Moth
Photo: Michael K. Oliver, Ph.D., CC BY

Adults have a wingspan of about 3 to 6 cm and females are larger than males. When the wings are open they look dark gray with wavy bands; the pattern stays visible when the wings are closed. Adults fly from June through November, while the caterpillars are present from June to August.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Open wings appear dark gray with wavy crosswise bands, and the pattern remains visible when the wings are folded.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The wingspan ranges from 32 to 58 mm. Females are larger than males.

Source: Wikipedia

Is it a pest in the house?

The larvae feed on many broadleaf trees and shrubs, and feeding is most active in the summer months.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults are on the wing from June to November, producing one generation each year. Caterpillars can be found from June through August.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are active from June to November, with one generation per year.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 42 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Vermont, Illinois.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Large Tolype Moth photo 3
Photo: Summit Metro Parks, CC BY
Large Tolype Moth photo 4
Photo: daksu, CC BY
Large Tolype Moth photo 5
Photo: Charlie Pavlisich, CC BY
Large Tolype Moth photo 6
Photo: Joey M, CC BY

Questions people ask

When are the adult moths active?

Adult moths are on the wing from June through November.

Source: Wikipedia

How big are these moths?

Their wingspan ranges from about 32 to 58 mm, with females being larger than males.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Lasiocampidae)

Eastern Tent Caterpillar MothEastern Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma americanaDamages trees, gardens or cropsForest Tent Caterpillar MothForest Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma disstriaDamages trees, gardens or cropsFox MothFox MothMacrothylacia rubiOak EggarOak EggarLasiocampa quercusDrinker MothDrinker MothEuthrix potatoriaWestern Tent Caterpillar MothWestern Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma californicaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolype_velleda

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.