![]() ![]() Eggs hatch after about ten days to two weeks. The eggs are ovular and about 1.4 mm in diameter, with a thin smooth yellow shell. Eggs Įggs are laid 24 hours after fertilization. For moths with longer life spans, much of this time is spent as a pupa over the winter months. Between hatching and adulthood, the species undergoes five instars. Individual rosy maple moths typically live for about two to nine months. Adult rosy maple moths are mostly solitary besides during mating. Life cycle of a rosy maple moth Social behavior Ĭaterpillars live and feed in groups until the fourth instar when they become solitary. In Florida, between March and October three broods are laid. Further south, two broods are laid between April and September. In northern regions, one brood is laid between May and August. Egg laying typically occurs in the warmer months, with a peak in July, although precise timing depends on the region. Females typically only reproduce once, but in southern regions they can lay eggs up to three times. Females typically lay around 150 to 200 eggs in groups of 10 to 40 on the underside of leaves of maple trees and occasionally oak trees. Besides this, rosy maple moths exhibit little parental care, as the female leaves after depositing her eggs. During those 24 hours, the eggs are protected inside the body of the female. Parental care Oviposition įemale rosy maple moths lay their eggs one day after fertilization. As with all Saturniidae, adult rosy maple moths do not feed. This damage is mostly harmless and the leaves will grow back. Thus, large populations of greenstriped mapleworms are capable of defoliating trees. The larvae eat the entire leaf blade and are capable of consuming a few leaves each. In early instars, the larvae feed together in groups, but beginning in the third or fourth instar the caterpillars begin to feed individually. Since the larvae remain on the same tree upon which they hatched, most larvae feed on the underside of maple leaves or oak leaves. The rosy maple moths preferentially lay their eggs on maple trees, and sometimes nearby oak trees. The adults do not eat, so they can have a sizeable home range. The larvae primarily eat the underside of leaves, therefore preferentially staying in that location of their home tree. Larvae hatch and live on the same tree through their development, then pupate in the soil beneath the same tree. They can also be found on oak trees, particularly turkey oaks ( Quercus laevis), especially when they are found dispersed among maple trees. Their common name derives from the fact that they can primarily be found on maple trees, including red maples ( Acer rubrum), sugar maples ( Acer saccharum), silver maples ( Acer saccharinum), and box elder maples ( Acer negundo). The rosy maple moth can be found in temperate deciduous forests and nearby suburban areas and urban landscapes. Their range extends south along the Atlantic coast of North America to Dade County, Florida, and extends west from eastern Texas through Minnesota. Their northernmost range includes the southern regions of Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The rosy maple moth lives across the eastern United States and adjacent regions of Canada. They have reddish-to-pink legs and antennae, yellow bodies and hindwings, and pink forewings with a triangular yellow band across the middle. The species can be identified by their unique, but varying, pink and yellow coloration. The rosy maple moth is the smallest of the silk moths males have a wingspan of 3.2 to 4.4 centimetres (1.25-1.75 in) females of 3.8 to 5 centimetres (1.5–2 in). Description Rosy maple moths are the smallest of the silk moths However, like all other Saturniid moths, the adult moths do not eat. Since the caterpillars eat the entire leaf blade, in dense populations, caterpillars have been known to defoliate trees, resulting in aesthetic rather than permanent damage. ![]() The emerging caterpillars, also known as the greenstriped mapleworm, mainly feed on the leaves of their host maple trees, particularly red maple, silver maple, and sugar maple. Adult females lay their yellow ovular eggs in groups of 10 to 40 on the underside of maple leaves. Īs the common name of the species implies, the preferred host trees are maple tree. Males have bushier antennae than females, which allow them to sense female pheromones for mating. The species is known for its wooly body and pink and yellow coloration, which varies from cream or white to bright pink or yellow. ![]() It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. Dryocampa rubicunda, the rosy maple moth, is a small North American moth in the family Saturniidae, also known as the great silk moths. ![]()
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