Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 30:21:100181.
doi: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2023.100181. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Geographical and temporal distribution of Megalopygidae in the United States and Puerto Rico

Emilio Peruzzi Sancio  1 , Chris Alice Kratzer  2 , John C Carlson  3
Affiliations

Geographical and temporal distribution of Megalopygidae in the United States and Puerto Rico

Emilio Peruzzi Sancio et al. Toxicon X. .

Abstract

Background: The venom of Megalopygidae caterpillars causes inflammation and pain. Understanding geographic and temporal variation in exposure will help physicians and the public understand when and where the species in this family may be encountered.

Methods: Photographs uploaded by community scientists to the iNaturalist database were reviewed and identified. GIS data points were used to model distribution of species based on geographic variables at the location of photographs for each group. Data on temporal abundance was also noted.

Results: Maps were created predicting the geographic range for 11 species of Megalopygidae. Peak larval abundance for the most abundant species, Megalopyge opercularis, was determined as September in the southeastern United States and October in south-central US.

Conclusion: Geographic and temporal distributions, based on community science observations, allow for more accurate predictions on the likelihood of encountering venomous Megalopygidae caterpillars.

Keywords: Community science; Identification; Lepidoptera toxicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A distribution map showing the approximate range of Megalopyge crispata, M. opercularis opercularis, and M. o. bissesa.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A distribution map showing the approximate range of Megalopyge pyxidifera, M. lapena, M. krugii, and M. immaculata.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A distribution map showing the approximate range of Norape cretata, N. sorpresa, N. tener, N. virgo, and Trosia obsolescens.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Phenology charts of Megalopyge opercularis opercularis (1) throughout its range in the United States, (2) within only the South-Central states, (3) within only the Southeastern states, and (4) within only the Mid-Atlantic states. Chart (5) shows the phenology of the subspecies Megalopyge o. bissesa.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Phenology charts of (1) Megalopyge crispata, (2) M. immaculata, (3) M. krugii, (4) M. lapena, and (5) M. pyxidifera.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Phenology charts of (1) Norape cretata, (2) N. virgo, (3) N. tener, (4) N. sorpresa, and (5) Trosia obsolescens.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Austin G.T. Moth community from a northcentral Florida location - a taxonomic checklist. Tropical Lepdoptera Research. 2010;20(1):41–44.
    1. Barnes W., McDunnough J.B. New species and varieties of North American Lepidoptera. The Candaian Entomologist. 1910;42(7):246–252.
    1. Becker V. A review of the Neotropical moths of the genus Trosia Hübner and allies (Megalopygidae: Trosiinae) Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 2022;32(2):1–23. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7407155. - DOI
    1. Becker V. In: Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera: Checklist: Part 2. Heppner J., editor. Scientific Publishers, Inc; Gainesville, Florida: 1995. Megalopygidae.
    1. Branco M.M.P., Borrasca-Fernandes C.F., Prado C.C., et al. Management of severe pain after dermal contact with caterpillars (erucism): a prospective case series. Clin. Toxicol. 2019;57(5):338–342. doi: 10.1080/15563650.2018.1520998. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources