Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Pine-devil Moth
Citheronia sepulcralis Grote & Robinson, 1865


Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae
Identification: Upperside of forewings is gray-brown with a black median line and a black cell spot. Upperside of hindwings is pale gray-brown with red at the base.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 5/16 inches (7 - 10 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in late morning and mate that night. Females lay eggs the following night singly or in groups of 2-3 at the base of pine needles. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days, and the caterpillars are solitary feeders. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in burrows in loose soil.
Flight: One brood in the north from June-July, two broods in the south from April-June and from August-September, possibly several broods in Florida from March-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Pines including pitch pine (Pinus rigida), eastern white pine (P. strobus), and Caribbean pine (P. caribaea).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Coastal pine forests.
Range: Southern Maine west to southeastern Ohio, south to the Florida Keys and southeastern Louisiana.
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