A plague of moth cats

Encountered this plague of moth cats on a tree trunk.
Any idea what the species ID is?

Hardly a plague - more of a conference of cats, or perhaps a lobby of larvae!

These are Lasiocampidae (Lappet Moths) of some description. In Hong Kong there are two species in the genus Metanastria that exhibit this herding instinct, and young instars in Paralebeda also are gregarious. I'd be inclined to think these may also be a species of Metanastria, or possibly Lebeda.

:cheers:

Roger.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hkmoths

Hardly a plague - more of a conference of cats, or perhaps a lobby of larvae!

These are Lasiocampidae (Lappet Moths) of some description. In Hong Kong there are two species in the genus Metanastria that exhibit this herding instinct, and young instars in Paralebeda also are gregarious. I'd be inclined to think these may also be a species of Metanastria, or possibly Lebeda.

:cheers:

Roger.

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Thanks, Roger for the information on the possible species ID. It was a very interesting sight of so many cats squeezed side by side, as if they were trying to stay warm in this cold weather.