---
title: "Polilla con mechones del oeste"
description: "Orgyia vetusta — Insectos y arañas. Orgyia vetusta, also known as the western tussock moth, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/es/animal/western-tussock-moth
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Polilla con mechones del oeste

> Orgyia vetusta — Insectos y arañas. Orgyia vetusta, also known as the western tussock moth, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia.

- Scientific name: *Orgyia vetusta*
- Category: `insects` (Insectos y arañas)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bosque)
- iNaturalist observations: 9944
- Wikidata: [Q15659481](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15659481)
- iNaturalist taxon: [61908](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/61908)

## Names

- en: Western Tussock Moth
- es: Polilla con mechones del oeste

## Countries with the most observations

US (3552), MX (82)

## Summary

Orgyia vetusta, also known as the western tussock moth, formerly Hemerocampa vetusta, is a moth found in the Pacific States and British Columbia. The species is dimorphic; the females are flightless. 
The Western tussock moth is reported on virtually all California oak species as well as various fruit and nut trees, ceanothus, hawthorn, manzanita, pyracantha, toyon, walnut, and willow. There is an isolated population in Boise County, Idaho. This species has also been seen in U.S. gulf coast states such as Louisiana..

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

## Photo

![Polilla con mechones del oeste](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/western-tussock-moth/medium.jpg)

Photo: Irene · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215162443

## Machine access

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