---
title: "White-marked Tussock Moth"
description: "Orgyia leucostigma — Insects & spiders. Orgyia leucostigma, the white-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/white-marked-tussock-moth
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# White-marked Tussock Moth

> Orgyia leucostigma — Insects & spiders. Orgyia leucostigma, the white-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae.

- Scientific name: *Orgyia leucostigma*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest)
- iNaturalist observations: 43951
- Wikidata: [Q7102161](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7102161)
- iNaturalist taxon: [81665](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/81665)

## Names

- en: White-marked Tussock Moth
- de: Hemerocampa leucostigma
- es: Hemerocampa leucostigma
- fr: Chenille à houppes blanches
- it: Hemerocampa leucostigma
- nl: Hemerocampa leucostigma
- pt: Hemerocampa leucostigma
- pl: Hemerocampa leucostigma

## Countries with the most observations

US (29050), CA (7541), MX (12)

## Summary

Orgyia leucostigma, the white-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. The caterpillar is very common especially in late summer in eastern North America, extending as far west as Texas, California, and Alberta.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgyia_leucostigma

## Photo

![White-marked Tussock Moth](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/white-marked-tussock-moth/medium.jpg)

Photo: Susan Butts · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53310286

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/white-marked-tussock-moth?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).