Photograph by Donald W. Hall , University of Florida. Larva: The hickory horned devil is among the largest of our native saturniid caterpillars. It is The caterpillars vary slightly in color, but are commonly blue-green. The second and third thoracic segments each bear two long and two shorter orange, black-tipped scoli tubercles in the form of spinose projections of the body wall.
The abdominal segments each have four short, black scoli, and segments 2 through 8 have a pale, oblique lateral stripe. Although the larva has a fierce appearance, it is harmless. Figure 4. Fully grown hickory horned devil caterpillar, of the regal moth, Citheronia regalis Fabricius. Figure 5. Close-up of the head of a fully grown hickory horned devil caterpillar of the regal moth, Citheronia regalis Fabricius. Photograph by Clemson University, www.
Figure 6. The regal moth typically has only a single generation per year, although a few late collection records suggest the possibility of a small second brood in the deep south. In Florida, adults have been collected in May, but are more common during the summer. Adults have vestigial mouthparts. Adults mate during the second evening after emergence and begin oviposition at dusk of the third evening.
Eggs hatch in six to 10 days, and the duration of the larval stage is about 35 days. In central Florida, larvae are usually found from late July to mid-August while they are wandering on the ground searching for a suitable location to burrow into the soil for pupation. The pupa is the overwintering stage. Worth reported that a small number of regal moth pupae diapaused through two winters.
Figure 7. Pupa bottom of the regal moth, Citheronia regalis Fabricius , and the exuviae cast skin top of the last larval instar.
Larvae have been reported from a variety of host tree species. They are commonly found on species of the family Juglandaceae including walnut Juglans nigra , butternut or white walnut Juglans cinerea , and a variety of hickories Carya spp.
Other hosts commonly listed are persimmon Diospyros virginiana , sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua , and sumacs Rhus spp. Of these latter three host plants, Worth et al. For detailed host lists, see Heppner and Robinson et al. Figure 8. Pignut hickory, Carya glabra Mill. Sweet, a host of the regal moth, Citheronia regalis Fabricius. Hall, University of Florida. Figure 9. Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua L.
Figure Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana L. Habitat and Conservation Regal moths, like most other moths, are most common in places where their food plants are numerous.
Food Like most other members of the giant silkworm moth family, the adult moths of this species have reduced mouthparts and do not eat. Status Breeding resident. Although the caterpillars are huge and look ferocious, they are harmless.
Life Cycle Life Cycle. Human Connections The hot-dog-sized, spiky caterpillars certainly make an impression. Ecosystem Connections Occasionally, a pupating hickory horned devil may stay underground an extra year, emerging an entire year after the rest of its generation.
The regal moth is a large, beautiful species well established in the Ozarks and eastern Missouri. Their enormous, horned caterpillars are more famous than the winged adults. Right to Use. The regal moth is a breeding resident in Missouri. They are usually seen May through August, usually peaking in the hot, humid weather of mid-July and early August.
Regal moth caterpillars eat the foliage of many species of trees and shrubs. Hickories, including pecan, and their close relatives, black walnut and butternut, top the list.
Regal moth caterpillars may vary in coloration, especially at different stages in their development. When fully grown, they are very distinctive and hard to mistake. They have long, curved horns on the back behind the head that are orange with bluish-black tips. Starting the night after mating, female regal moths deposit up to 3 eggs at a time on the leaves of suitable host plants.
After about a week, the caterpillars will hatch out of their eggs and start to eat. As winged adults, regal moths probably live for only one or weeks, so mating and egg-laying must occur quickly. Adult regal moths do not eat. Similar Species. Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths. Io Moth. Honey Locust Moth. Rosy Maple Moth. About Butterflies and Moths in Missouri. The fully-grown hickory horned devil has a brown head, dark green body, black prolegs and numerous spines.
Each body segment has four or more short, black spines around in a row around it. The two body segments toward the front have four long projections each that are brown at the base, black at the tip and curve back. These are the "horns" that give the caterpillar its ferocious appearance and name. Mature hickory horned devils crawl to the soil and dig in to form a subterranean cell in which they molt into a pupal stage. The shiny, dark-brown pupa is about two inches long or even longer and is somewhat cylindrical.
The fall, winter and spring is spent as a pupa in the soil. Next summer, the insect molts into the regal moth. Regal moths are large and have stout bodies.
Females wingspan up to 6 inches are larger than males. The head and body are orange-red and yellow spots and markings. The wing veins are also red-orange. The dark areas between the veins are dull gray. The forewings of males are pointed toward the tips and narrower than the back wings.
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