Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth

Lithacodes fasciola · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Limacodidae

Also called: Ochre-winged Hag Moth

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The yellow-shouldered slug moth larvae feed on many deciduous trees and shrubs, so they can damage garden plants and orchard trees.

Source: Wikipedia

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth
Photo: Roger Rittmaster, CC BY

Adults are about a centimetre long, covered in fine hairs and brown in colour, with a distinctive white stripe edged in black across the forewings, plus black spots and a black crescent. The underside of the wings is a lighter grey-brown. Caterpillars are flattened, oval-shaped and have a short, squared-off tail.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The forewings show a white stripe bordered in black, along with black spots and a black crescent; the wing underside is a paler grey-brown.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The moth is roughly one centimetre in length and appears hairy.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

In northern areas there is one generation per year, while in the southern United States there can be two or more, with mature caterpillars appearing from May through November. Caterpillars are flattened, ovoid and have a short, squared-off tail.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Mature caterpillars can be found from May to November, depending on the region.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 39 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia.

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

Source: GBIF

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

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth photo 3
Photo: Theo Rickert, CC BY
Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth photo 4
Photo: Mark Richman, CC BY
Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth photo 5
Photo: Jeff Niznik, CC BY-SA
Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth photo 6
Photo: Steven Bodzin, CC BY

Questions people ask

Does this moth damage trees or garden plants?

Yes, its caterpillars feed on many deciduous trees and shrubs, which can harm garden plants and orchard trees.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Limacodidae)

Saddleback Caterpillar MothSaddleback Caterpillar MothAcharia stimuleaCan stingSpiny Oak-slug MothSpiny Oak-slug MothEuclea delphiniiVenomousSkiff MothSkiff MothProlimacodes badiaDamages trees, gardens or cropsCrowned Slug MothCrowned Slug MothIsa textulaDamages trees, gardens or cropsYellow-collared Slug MothYellow-collared Slug MothApoda y-inversaDamages trees, gardens or cropsEarly Button Slug MothEarly Button Slug MothTortricidia testacea

Sources

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

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

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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.