Pink-striped oakworm moth
Anisota virginiensis (Drury, 1773)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae
Identification: Females are larger than males. Upperside of female is orange with pale purple at the margins of the wings. Scattered black specks are reduced or absent. Upperside of male is dark brown with some red on the hindwing and a large translucent white spot on the forewing. Both sexes have a small white cell spot on the forewing.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 5/8 inches (4.2 - 6.6 cm).
Life History: Adults are day fliers and mate in the morning. Females lay eggs after dusk in groups on the underside of oak leaves. Caterpillars feed together in groups, and pupate and overwinter in shallow underground burrows.
Flight: One brood from June-July in the north, at least two broods from May-September in the south, several broods throughout the year in Florida.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various oaks (Quercus species).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woodland, suburbs, tree-lined city streets.
Range: Nova Scotia west across the Great Lakes states to Manitoba and Minnesota; south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, 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.
Comments: NULL