Moth Photographers Group – Norape cretata

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Megalopygidae

57a0044 – 4650 Norape cretata (Grote, 1864)

White Flannel Moth

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Distribution:	MD to southern FL, west along Ohio River Valley to eastern OK and south to Waco and Corpus Christi, TX.
Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Cannabaceae[Ulmaceae] Lamiaceae Fabaceae Fagaceae Smilacaceae Ulmaceae. Host genera: Albizia Cercis Celtis Lavandula Quercus Robinia Smilax Ulmus. Host extended: other woody plants (Wagner 2005). (Kimberley & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	57a0046 Norape virgo: has black legs, not white as in cretata, and has only been reported from south of Galveston, TX. 57a0045 Norape sorpresa: is found in Arizona; tarsi banded; gray shade of basal half of the ventral forewing costa, lacking in similar species. Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	cretata (Grote, 1864) (Ulosota) - MONA 1983: [NEW]; TL: Louisiana. ovina of authors; (not Sepp, [1855]) (Phalaena) misappl. - MONA 1983: [4650]
Taxonomic Notes:	Norape cretata (Grote, 1864), rev. status, is raised to full species from synonymy of [4650] Norape ovina (Sepp, [1855]) in Wagner et al. (2022). Ovina is now regarded as extralimital north of Mexico.

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history)
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 20.27m; p. 165. Book Review and ordering
Sancio, E.P., C.H. Kratzer, J.C. Carlson, 2024. Geographical and temporal distribution of Megalopygidae in the United States and Puerto Rico. Toxicon, X (2024). (Journal Pre-proof)
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at iNaturalist
Wagner, D.L, T. Matson & J.D. Palting, 2022. A New Norape from the Southwestern United States (Megalopygidae, Trosiinae). Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 76 (1): 1-9.

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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