Page 402 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION Areas of southwestern Canada and western United States,
south to Baja California
HABITAT Wide variation, including redwood and pine forests,
and riparian areas
HOST PLANTS Many, including mountain lilac (Ceanothus spp.), mountain
mahogany (Cercocarpus spp.), Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata),
and bitterbrush (Purshia spp.)
NOTE Gregarious, spiny caterpillar that sometimes defoliates large
areas of bitterbrush
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
2 ⁄ –3 ⁄ in (56–87 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2¾ in (70 mm)
HEMILEUCA EGLANTERINA
ELEGANT SHEEP MOTH
400
(BOISDUVAL, 1852)

The Elegant Sheep Moth caterpillar hatches in the spring from
a ring of white eggs deposited on a small twig of its host plant
by the adult female during the previous summer or fall. The
caterpillar is black in the rst instar, but in most populations

it develops a pattern of white or yellow longitudinal stripes
and clusters of variably colored hairs and spines. The young
caterpillars are processional when searching for food and
remain tightly grouped, while more mature caterpillars become
independent. After about six instars, the caterpillar makes a loose
cocoon under leaf litter.

In the United States and Mexico, there are a number of sheep
moth (Hemileuca) species, both diurnal and nocturnal, belonging
to the silkmoth subfamily Hemileucinae, whose caterpillars all
have stinging spines. The Elegant Sheep Moth is diurnal, and
over its range of distribution it displays a wide variety of color
in both caterpillar and adult; in northern and central California,
for instance, the moth can be entirely bright pink.

Actual size
The Elegant Sheep Moth caterpillar is usually
dull black with three pale lines on each side, the
spiracular one zigzagging up and down. It has
rosettes of reddish and black spines on each
segment and areas of sparse, white hairs dorsally
and laterally, with reddish-brown hairs and
integument on the true legs and prolegs.