Anisota virginiensis | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Saturniidae |
Genus: | Anisota |
Species: | A. virginiensis
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Binomial name | |
Anisota virginiensis (
Drury, 1773)
| |
Synonyms | |
Anisota virginiensis, the pink-striped oakworm moth, is a species of silk moth of the family Saturniidae.
The female's wings are purplish red with ochre-yellow. They have thin scales and are almost transparent. The male's wings are purplish brown with a large transparent space in the middle. [2] The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.
The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba, [3] and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs. [4]
Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning. [3] It is a rapid process. The male and female stay together for the rest of the day and then the female finds a place to lay eggs, usually under oak leaves. [3] Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition. [5]
The caterpillars are gray or greenish with dull brownish yellow or rosy stripes. There are scales on each segment and two long spines on the mesothorax. [2] The caterpillars pupate for a short time. [3] They feed on the foliage of oak trees, maples, birches, and hazels. The caterpillar overwinters in the soil as a pupa. Caterpillars that are newly hatched or are in the middle of growing feed in groups while those that are mature or nearly so feed separately. [6] The caterpillar is about an eighth of an inch long. The head is large in proportion to the body. The inside of the mouth is yellow. The legs are semi-translucent. [7]
Conservation regimes are not required for this species. [4] It is considered a pest of forests because it defoliates trees. [6] Outbreaks can be treated with an arsenical spray. [8]
Anisota virginiensis.
Anisota virginiensis.
Anisota virginiensis | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Saturniidae |
Genus: | Anisota |
Species: | A. virginiensis
|
Binomial name | |
Anisota virginiensis (
Drury, 1773)
| |
Synonyms | |
Anisota virginiensis, the pink-striped oakworm moth, is a species of silk moth of the family Saturniidae.
The female's wings are purplish red with ochre-yellow. They have thin scales and are almost transparent. The male's wings are purplish brown with a large transparent space in the middle. [2] The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.
The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba, [3] and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs. [4]
Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning. [3] It is a rapid process. The male and female stay together for the rest of the day and then the female finds a place to lay eggs, usually under oak leaves. [3] Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition. [5]
The caterpillars are gray or greenish with dull brownish yellow or rosy stripes. There are scales on each segment and two long spines on the mesothorax. [2] The caterpillars pupate for a short time. [3] They feed on the foliage of oak trees, maples, birches, and hazels. The caterpillar overwinters in the soil as a pupa. Caterpillars that are newly hatched or are in the middle of growing feed in groups while those that are mature or nearly so feed separately. [6] The caterpillar is about an eighth of an inch long. The head is large in proportion to the body. The inside of the mouth is yellow. The legs are semi-translucent. [7]
Conservation regimes are not required for this species. [4] It is considered a pest of forests because it defoliates trees. [6] Outbreaks can be treated with an arsenical spray. [8]
Anisota virginiensis.
Anisota virginiensis.