Caterpillars of Eastern Forests by David L Wagner1 Valerie Giles2 Richard C. Reardon3 Michael L. McManus4

For better and for worse, caterpillars are integral to the health of our forests. Populations of more than 20 species of eastern forest Lepidoptera may reach densities that result in the defoliation of hundreds or thousands of acres. Tannins, alkaloids, mineral spirits, latexes, spices, and many pharmaceuticals are manufactured by plants, at least in part, to deter hungry caterpillars. Caterpillars are the dietary staple of many forest mammals and birds, and without them there would be fewer songbirds to welcome each spring. Some caterpillars ingest fallen leaves, thereby hastening decomposition and soil formation.

Despite these and many other roles that caterpillars play in forest ecosystems, there is but modest literature for their identification. Moreover, much of what is written is technical in nature, out of print, or focused on a single family.

Our intent in preparing this guide is to enable forest managers, extension entomologists, and nonspecialists to identify many of the eastern region's most frequently encountered species. It is also our wish that this guide will promote a greater appreciation for the remarkable caterpillar biodiversity of eastern forest and woodland ecosystems.

Wagner, David L., Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, and Michael L. 
     McManus.  1997.  Caterpillars of Eastern Forests.  U.S. Department 
     of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise 
     Team, Morgantown, West Virginia.  FHTET-96-34.  113 pp.  

This resource should be cited as:

Wagner, David L., Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, and Michael L. 
     McManus.  1997.  Caterpillars of Eastern Forests.  U.S. Department 
     of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise 
     Team, Morgantown, West Virginia.  FHTET-96-34.  113 pp.  Jamestown, 
     ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.  
     http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/cateast/cateast.htm 
     (Version 11APR2001).

• Life Cycle
• Morphology
• Collecting Caterpillars
• Collecting Eggs
• Verifying Identification
• Rearing Caterpillars
• Preserving Specimens
• Photographing Caterpillars
• Species Descriptions
• Families of Caterpillars
• Glossary
• Acknowledgments
• Helpful Literature on Caterpillars
• Figures
  • Figure 1 -- Diagrammatic sketch of a caterpillar.
  • Figure 2 -- Frontal view of caterpillar head.
  • Figure 3 -- Crochet arrangement on midabdominal proleg of a noctuid.
  • Figure 4 -- Crochet arrangement on midabdominal proleg of a arctiid.

		United States Department of Agriculture	Forest Service	November 1997
A reprint of this resource can be obtained at http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/order.shtml. Specify order no. FHTET-96-34

cateast.zip (4.6M bytes) -- Caterpillars of Eastern Forests

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