Bug FAQRiley's Lappet Moth
Heteropacha rileyana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lasiocampidae
Riley's lappet moth belongs to a single-species genus described by Leon F. Harvey in 1874. Adults have a wingspan of about 27 to 36 mm and are active from late April through August. The caterpillars feed on honey-locust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos) and the species occurs in Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The genus Heteropacha contains only this species and was named by Leon F. Harvey in 1874. Heteropacha rileyana, known as Riley's lappet moth, was also described by Harvey in the same year.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 27 to 36 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in the U.S. states of Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the honey-locust tree, Gleditsia triacanthos.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from late April until August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Moths can be seen from late April through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Georgia in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi.
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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Lasiocampidae)
Eastern Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma americanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Forest Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma disstriaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fox MothMacrothylacia rubi
Oak EggarLasiocampa quercus
Drinker MothEuthrix potatoria
Western Tent Caterpillar MothMalacosoma californicaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteropacha
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.