yellow slant-line

Wing color may be pale tan, yellowish-white, creamy yellow, or orangish-yellow. On the forewing there is a dark brown, slanted, postmedial line that extends from the middle of the inner margin to the costal margin near the apex, and a small, sharp, dark brown discal spot. There is no antemedial line. The forewing is otherwise unmarked. The hindwing is similar in color but has a faint discal spot. Hindwings of the first brood are otherwise unmarked, while those of the second brood have a pale postmedial line. All wings have a dusting of dark scales.

The caterpillar is a stick mimic. The second thoracic segment is conspicuously thickened, giving the caterpillar the appearance of a broken twig.

1″ to 1¾″ wingspan

White slant-line (Tetracis cachexiata) wings are creamy white. The postmedial line is pale orange. The wings are otherwise unmarked. There is no small, sharp, dark brown discal spot.

Deciduous and mixed woodlands and forests, shrubby areas

One generation: Late May to late July

Alder, sumac, and willow.

Sources

4, 7, 21, 24, 27, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Common

Tribe
The genus Tetracis was formerly placed in the tribe Ourapterygini. A recent morphological analysis of the tribe Ennomini (Beljaev E., 2008) proposed synonymizing Ennomini and Ourapterygini. The proposal has not been universally accepted. Most sources do not include the rank of tribe in their taxonomic tree. Of those that do, iNaturalist.org places Tetracis in the tribe Ennomini, ITIS and BugGuide.net place it in the tribe Ourapterygini.

Yellow Slant-Line - Hodges#6963 (Tetracis crocallata)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Greg Watson
5/15/2025

Location: La Crescent, MN

Just wanted to pass along to you a photo I took in my backyard in La Crescent of a Yellow Slant-line Moth, Tetracis crocallata.