Rosy maple moth Dryocampa rubicunda (Fabricius, 1793)

Family: Saturniidae

Subfamily: Ceratocampinae

Identification: Extremely variable in color. Upperside of wing is yellow to cream to white with pink at the margins and bases of the wings. The amount of pink can vary from covering most of the wing to being absent altogether. Form alba occurs in Missouri and is all white or white with some pink markings.

Wing Span: 1 5/16 - 2 1/16 inches (3.4 - 5.2 cm).

Life History: Adults emerge in the late afternoon and mate in the late evening. Females begin laying eggs at dusk the next day in groups of 10-30 on leaves of the host plant. Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks and feed gregariously when young. Older caterpillars feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow underground chambers.

Flight: One brood in the north from May-August,two broods in the south from April-September, possibly three broods in the Deep South and Florida from March-October.

Caterpillar Hosts: Maple trees including red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (A. saccharum), and silver maple (A. saccharinum); and oak trees including turkey oak (Quercus laevis).

Adult Food: Adults do not feed.

Habitat: Deciduous forests.

Range: Nova Scotia west through Quebec to Ontario and Minnesota; south to Dade County, Florida, the Gulf Coast, and east Texas.

Conservation: In general, population booms of D. rubicunda are rare, although the caterpillars are occasional pests, defoliating red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (A. saccharum), and silver maple (A. saccharinum); and oak trees including turkey oak (Quercus laevis). Defoliation is generally aesthetic; trees usually survive and recover. Outbreaks are mostly unknown where there is a single brood annually (eastern and northern states, and southern Canada). Like many Saturniids, D. rubicunda is declining across much of its range, possibly due to parasitism by the imported tachinid fly, Compsilura concinnata.

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:

Citation:

Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Volume 69, Issue 5, 1 September 1976, Pages 857–862, https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/69.5.857
Covell, C.V., Jr. 2005. A field guide to moths of eastern North America. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA.
Greenstriped Mapleworm. Frank, S. D., Dale, A. 2015. NC State Extension Entomology Insect Notes.
Green-Striped Mapleworm “Outbreak” in Buchanan County, 2008. Lewis, D. 2018 Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
The Green-Striped Maple Worm. Howard, L. O. and F. H. Chittenden. 1909. USDA, Bureau of Entomology. Circular 110, 7
Wagner, D. L. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton (NJ). Princeton University Press. p. 234

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Observation date: Jul 28, 2023

Submitted by: John Terpstra

Region: Ontario, Canada

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Verified date: Aug 03, 2023

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Rosy maple moth
Dryocampa rubicunda (Fabricius, 1793)