Anisota virginiensis

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Anisota virginiensis
Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth, SR-204, Savannah, GA, US imported from iNaturalist photo 264890612.jpg
Southern pink-striped oakworm moth, female (left) and male
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Anisota
Species:
A. virginiensis
Binomial name
Anisota virginiensis
(Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena virginiensisDrury, 1773
  • Phalaena pellucidaSmith, 1797
  • Anisota sinulisRiotte, 1970
  • Anisota virginiensis pellucida(Smith, 1797) [1]
  • Anisota virginiensis discolorFerguson, 1971 [1]
Anisota viginiensis (Drury, 1773), the southern pink-striped oakworm moth, collected outside of doctor's office in Eatonton, GA. Scale bar represents 0.5 cm. Anisota senatoria Oct 2024.jpg
Anisota viginiensis (Drury, 1773), the southern pink-striped oakworm moth, collected outside of doctor's office in Eatonton, GA. Scale bar represents 0.5 cm.

Anisota virginiensis, the pink-striped oakworm moth, is a species of silk moth of the family Saturniidae.

Contents

Description

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. [3] The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.

Habitat

The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba, [4] and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs. [5]

Biology

Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning. [4] 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. [4] Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition. [6]

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. [3] The caterpillars pupate for a short time. [4] 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. [7] 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. [8]

Ecology

Conservation regimes are not required for this species. [5] It is considered a pest of forests because it defoliates trees. [7] Outbreaks can be treated with an arsenical spray. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Tuskes, Paul M.; P. Tuttle, James; Collins, Michael M. (1996). The wild silk moths of North America: a natural history of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. p. 250. ISBN   0801431301.
  2. ↑ Abbott, John C.; Abbott, Kendra K. (2023-04-24). Insects of North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN   978-0-691-23286-7.
  3. 1 2 Henry Comstock, John; Botsford Comstock, Anna (1899). A manual for the study of insects. Comstock Pub. Co. pp.  348. Anisota virginiensis.
  4. 1 2 3 4 M. Tuskes, Paul; P. Tuttle, James; M. Collins, Michael (1996). The wild silk moths of North America: a natural history of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. pp. 74–75. ISBN   978-0-8014-3130-2.
  5. 1 2 "Pink-striped oakworm moth Anisota virginiensis (Drury, 1773)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  6. ↑ Mason, D.; Baruzzi, C. (2019). "Love in strange places". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 17 (3): 184–184. doi: 10.1002/fee.2027 .
  7. 1 2 L. Hyche, L. "Pinkstriped Oakworm Anisota virginiensis (Drury) (Saturniidae)". Auburn University. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  8. ↑ Entomological Society of Ontario; Ontario. Dept. of Agriculture; Ontario. Legislative Assembly (1908). Annual report, Volumes 38-41. The Society. pp.  74. Anisota virginiensis.
  9. ↑ Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station (1914). Bulletin on Forestry, Volume 1, Issues 156-435. p. 32.
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