Page 387 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil
HABITAT Woodlands, open areas, and rangeland
HOST PLANTS Wide variety of trees and shrubs, including ash (Fraxinus spp.)
and beech (Fagus spp.)
NOTE Large silkmoth caterpillar that comes in two color forms
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but locally common

ADULT WINGSPAN
4¼–4⅝ in (110–120 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
4–4⅝ in (100–120 mm)
CITHERONIA AROA
CITHERONIA AROA 385

SCHAUS, 1896

Citheronia aroa caterpillars hatch from large, yellowish eggs laid
singly or in groups of up to four on the upper surface of host
plant leaves seven to ten days earlier. The early instar caterpillars
feed mostly by night and rest by day, while later instars
also feed openly by day. Mature larvae have two color forms,
which probably evolved to blend in with their variable habitats.
There are five instars, and development from egg hatch to

pupation takes ve to six weeks.
The Citheronia aroa caterpillar is either dark
When fully fed, the caterpillar becomes a dull turquoise color brown black or banded black and white with
a red head. The dark form is sometimes
and descends to the ground, burying itself 5–6 in (130–150 mm) marked subspiracularly with a variable, wavy,
below the surface, where it constructs an earthen chamber. orange stripe and intersegmental orange
bands. The spiracles are outlined in yellowish
Here it pupates, becoming a dark brown-black chrysalis that orange, and the head and true legs are red.
usually overwinters. The adults are short-lived, with vestigial
mouthparts, meaning no feeding occurs. Females emit a
pheromone to attract males for mating and, once mated, spend
the rest of their short lives laying eggs.

Actual size