Anisota virginiensis

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

Anisota virginiensis
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Saturniidae
Genus:	Anisota
Species:	A. virginiensis
Binomial name
Anisota virginiensis (Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
Phalaena virginiensis Drury, 1773 Phalaena pellucida Smith, 1797 Anisota sinulis Riotte, 1970 Anisota virginiensis pellucida (Smith, 1797) [1] Anisota virginiensis discolor Ferguson, 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. ^[2]

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]

Life cycle gallery

• 
  Mating
• 
  Eggs
• 
  Larvae feeding on Quercus texana
• 
  Larva
• 
  Pupa

References

1. 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. Henry Comstock, John; Botsford Comstock, Anna (1899). A manual for the study of insects. Comstock Pub. Co. pp. 348. Anisota virginiensis.
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. "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. 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.