Page 434 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION Western section of Great Escarpment from Cape Town,
South Africa, north to southern Namibia
HABITAT Semidesert
HOST PLANTS Eriocephalus spp.
NOTE Caterpillar that rolls into a hairy ball when disturbed
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
1 ⁄ –1¾ in (30–45 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¾ in (45 mm)
VEGETIA DUCALIS
DUCAL PRINCELING
432
JORDAN, 1922

Ducal Princeling silkmoth caterpillars hatch from eggs clustered
around a twig on the host plant. Unlike most silkmoth species,
the new hatchlings do not congregate but continuously wander
around, nibbling on leaves at random. By the second instar,
the dorsal hairs of the larva become very long, and when it is

disturbed it rolls up in a hairy ball. At the end of the fth instar,
the caterpillar quickly spins a cocoon near the base of a bush,
decorating it with dead leaves and debris.

The Ducal Princeling caterpillar is black with
two lateral, undulating, longitudinal stripes. Vegetia ducalis normally feeds only on Eriocephalus species,
Laterally, it is reddish brown, bordered slightly
with white. The spiracles are black, bordered with although in captivity the larvae are known to accept California
white, and dorsally there are tufts of densely
packed, white hairs that resemble long thorns. Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), which has a similar odor, and
The head is dark brown, and the legs and prolegs to thrive on it. The adult moths, which are diurnal, emerge from
are reddish brown. Long, white hairs obscure

much of the body. their cocoons about noon, with the male ying and mating as
quickly as ten minutes later. The adults are similar in size, shape,
color, and habits to the Calosaturnia moths of southern
California, where the climate is comparable.

Actual size