Page 416 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION
DIS
DISTRIBUTION Central Africa, south of the Sahara
TRIBUTION
HABITAT
HABIT
A
HABITAT T Tropical forests and savannahs
HOS T PLANT S Many, includingVernicia spp., Bauhinia spp., and Anacardium spp.
HOST PLANTS
HOST PLANTS
NO
NOTE Spiny but edible caterpillar
TE
NOTE
CONSERV A TION S T A TUS Not evaluated
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS
ADULT WINGSPAN
3½ in (90 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 ⁄ in (65 mm)
NUDAURELIA DIONE
GOLDEN EMPEROR
414
(FABRICIUS, 1793)

The caterpillars of the Golden Emperor silkmoth are tiny
and yellow when they hatch from their small group of white
eggs early in the morning. During the day they move around
searching for the best place to feed, then, just after dark, they line
up side by side under the tip of a leaf and begin to eat. In later
instars, they separate as their color transforms from yellow to
black, with yellow markings. After the fth instar, they burrow

into the ground to pupate.

Nudaurelia dione belongs to a large genus of African moths with
46 species, but the Golden Emperor is one of the most common
and widespread among them, occurring mainly within 15
The Golden Emperor caterpillar is black with
white oval spiracles. A pair of backward-pointing, degrees of the equator. The caterpillar is also widely eaten by
yellow spines with sparse, radiating white bristles humans as it is an excellent source of protein. The backward-
adorn the dorsum of almost every segment.
The head, true legs, and prolegs are all black, pointing, hornlike spines, which are designed to assist its
sparsely studded with white, medium-long
bristles. The head is large. eventual burrowing, are also eaten.

Actual size