Page 362 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION Southeastern Canada and eastern United States,
south to central Florida
HABITAT Deciduous and mixed wood forests and woodlands
HOST PLANTS Birch (Betula spp.), alder (Alnus spp.), persimmon (Diospyros

spp.), Sweetgum, (Liquidambar styraci uar), hickory (Carya spp.),
and walnut (Juglans spp.)
NOTE Cryptic caterpillar that can strip a branch in a day
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
3–4⅛ in (75–105 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
3–4 in (75–100 mm)
ACTIAS LUNA
LUNA MOTH
360
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Luna Moth caterpillars feed in groups during the rst two to
three instars and are solitary thereafter. The amount of food
consumed grows exponentially; by the last instar, a caterpillar

can defoliate a branch in a day. There are ve instars, and each
instar takes five to seven days to complete. At maturity, the
The Luna Moth caterpillar is green with a thin, caterpillar, like other silkmoth species, creates a tight, thick,
yellow lateral stripe. Its head, legs, and prolegs silver-colored cocoon among the leaves of its host plant.
are rust colored, and there are rows of orange
or pink verrucae—sclerotized structures, six on
each segment, all bearing setae. In the thoracic
segments and the last abdominal segments, Within its large, diverse family that includes some of the
the verrucae are larger and clearly defensive world’s biggest Lepidoptera species, Actias is a genus of long-
as they would be unpleasant for a predating
bird or mammal to swallow. tailed adults, some of which, such as A. artemis and A. selena in
Asia, are very similar to the Luna Moth. Actias luna adults have
recently been the subject of pioneering research to investigate
how their tail helps them to survive bat attacks: via ultrasound
reflection the bat detects the tail, attacking that rather than
other vital parts.

Actual size