Page 374 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DIS
DISTRIBUTION Eastern Mexico, south to Bolivia and southern Brazil
TRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT
HABITAT
HABIT A T Tropical forests
T PLANT
HOS
HOST PLANTS S Ceiba spp. and other trees of the Bombacaceae family
HOST PLANTS
NOTE
NOTE
NO TE Highly social caterpillar of giant silkmoth family
TUS
A
T
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated
A
CONSERV
CONSERVATION STATUS
TION S
ADULT WINGSPAN
4⅜–6¾ in (115–170 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
4¼ in (110 mm)
ARSENURA ARMIDA
ARSENURA ARMIDA
372
CRAMER, 1779
The Arsenura armida caterpillar is brightly banded black and
white with long horns for most of its stages, but is hornless and

less contrasting in the nal instar. It is a very social caterpillar;
large numbers often congregate on the base of a tree by day to
ascend in procession to the branches to feed at night, following
a pheromone (scent) trail deposited by each member to assist
grouping. After dispersing in the canopy to feed, the caterpillars
then descend together around dawn, again using the pheromone
trail as a guide.

Arsenura silkmoth species caterpillars belong to the subfamily
Arsenurinae, adult members of which mostly resemble one
another, except for size, and are found only in the Central and
South American tropics. All pupate in the ground. The moths
are very large and variously patterned in subdued browns,
grays, reddish brown, or black and white. Although A. armida
caterpillars are toxic enough to kill some birds, they are cooked
and eaten by ethnic communities in southern Mexico.

Actual size

The Arsenura armida caterpillar is black and
smooth on the dorsal half of its body with a band
of orange separating each segment. The lower
half is covered with ne, dense, cream-colored
ligree, the spiracles are black ovals, and the
head and claspers of the tail are rich brown.
The feet are black.