Attributes of Citheronia regalis
Royal Walnut Moth
Citheronia regalis (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae
Identification: Females are larger than males. Upperside of forewing is gray with red-orange veins and creamy yellow spots. Upperside of hindwing is orange with creamy yellow at the costa and inner margin.
Wing Span: 3 15/16 - 6 1/4 inches (10 - 16 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in late evening and mate the following evening. Females begin laying eggs at dusk the next day, depositing them in groups of 1-3 on both sides of host plant leaves. Eggs hatch within 6-10 days, and the caterpillars (known as the Hickory Horned Devil) feed alone. Young caterpillars rest on the tops of leaves and resemble bird droppings, while older caterpillars appear menacing because they are very large and brightly colored with red "horns" near the head. Caterpillars pupate in a burrow in the soil.
Flight: One brood from May through mid-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Hickories (Carya), pecan (C. illinoensis), butternut (Juglans cinerea), black walnut (J. nigra), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), sumacs (Rhus), cultivated cotton (Gossypium), and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woods.
Range: New York west through southern Michigan and Illinois to eastern Kansas; south to central Florida, the Gulf states, and east Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Citheronia regalis
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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April 24, 2013 | dpearce | Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States | April 26, 2013 | Details |
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April 21, 2013 | melissakoors | Baldwin County, Alabama, United States | April 22, 2013 | Details |
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October 06, 2012 | Tonylee | Harris County, Texas, United States | March 18, 2013 | Details |
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July 20, 2006 | Doug Bruce | Anderson County, Tennessee, United States | February 18, 2013 | Details |
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August 22, 2010 | Ryan St Laurent | Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States | December 12, 2012 | Details |
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October 12, 2012 | Renny_Penny | Mercer County, New Jersey, United States | October 21, 2012 | Details |
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September 10, 2010 | LowRoller | Hendry County, Florida, United States | October 18, 2012 | Details |
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July 25, 2008 | lauralowe | Trimble County, Kentucky, United States | October 15, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2012 | Kreg Ellzey | East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States | October 10, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2011 | proberts | Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States | October 03, 2012 | Details |
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August 31, 2012 | elizabethpiper | DeKalb County, Georgia, United States | September 23, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | rcw1202 | Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States | September 23, 2012 | Details |
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August 01, 2012 | Puff Feather | Tennessee, United States | September 22, 2012 | Details |
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September 16, 2012 | wallacebrianne | Harris County, Texas, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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September 02, 2012 | olgacaballero | Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States | September 03, 2012 | Details |
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June 20, 2012 | keiran1 | Alabama, United States | September 01, 2012 | Details |
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August 23, 2012 | swm_w | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | September 01, 2012 | Details |
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July 15, 2012 | Margalot | Cobb County, Georgia, United States | August 31, 2012 | Details |
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August 25, 2012 | Katieann | Columbia County, Florida, United States | August 25, 2012 | Details |
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August 25, 2012 | KShiff | Staunton City County, Virginia, United States | August 25, 2012 | Details |
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August 25, 2012 | flapidus | Prince Georges County, Maryland, United States | August 25, 2012 | Details |
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July 11, 2012 | rdhealy1951 | Hardin County, Kentucky, United States | August 17, 2012 | Details |
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July 26, 2012 | tink898 | Greenville County, South Carolina, United States | August 16, 2012 | Details |
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August 16, 2012 | hhdtoadhollow | Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States | August 16, 2012 | Details |
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August 10, 2012 | Adrienne1331 | Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States | August 12, 2012 | Details |
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August 11, 2012 | JeanEvoy | De Soto County, Florida, United States | August 12, 2012 | Details |
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August 12, 2012 | Cee | Franklin County, Virginia, United States | August 12, 2012 | Details |
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August 04, 2012 | curtis.lehman | Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States | August 04, 2012 | Details |
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July 28, 2012 | amccleaster9824 | Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States | July 28, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2012 | jupmorgan52 | Perry County, Ohio, United States | July 27, 2012 | Details |
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July 24, 2012 | Driftwood | Charleston County, South Carolina, United States | July 24, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2012 | Chip Krilowicz | Burlington County, New Jersey, United States | July 23, 2012 | Details |
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July 23, 2012 | SAA | Camden County, New Jersey, United States | July 23, 2012 | Details |
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July 23, 2012 | HisGemini | North Carolina, United States | July 23, 2012 | Details |
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July 19, 2012 | lisa.quirk | Maryland, United States | July 22, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Dickson County, Tennessee, United States | July 19, 2012 | Details |
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July 18, 2012 | johnmdaleyatc | Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States | July 18, 2012 | Details |
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September 14, 2008 | Roger Boardley | Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States | July 18, 2012 | Details |
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July 14, 2012 | Paukenwirbel | Iredell County, North Carolina, United States | July 16, 2012 | Details |
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July 15, 2012 | doberlin | Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States | July 15, 2012 | Details |
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June 23, 2000 | magnunc | Howard County, Maryland, United States | July 14, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2012 | Lissajane | Davidson County, North Carolina, United States | July 14, 2012 | Details |
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June 30, 2012 | curious475 | Page County, Virginia, United States | July 14, 2012 | Details |
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July 12, 2012 | p2brashear | Perry County, Kentucky, United States | July 13, 2012 | Details |
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June 28, 2012 | DDMPI | Gadsden County, Florida, United States | July 12, 2012 | Details |
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July 12, 2012 | ceceslaton | Floyd County, Georgia, United States | July 12, 2012 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | ngause1 | Virginia, United States | July 10, 2012 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | joe lobay | Stark County, Ohio, United States | July 09, 2012 | Details |
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June 19, 2012 | nolechik | Marion County, Florida, United States | July 09, 2012 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | amymorgandonais | Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States | July 09, 2012 | Details |
