Rosy Maple Moth
Dryocampa rubicunda
Summary 7
The Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) is a North American moth in the Saturniidae family. Males have a wingspan of 32–44 mm; females of 40–50 mm. They have reddish-to-pink legs and antennae, yellow bodies and hindwings, and pink forewings with a triangular yellow band across the middle. Males have bushier antennae than females. As the name implies, rosy maple moths mainly feed on Maples, particularly Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Sugar Maple. Sometimes these moths become pests on
Habitat 8
Rosy maple moths inhabit temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America. They are most often associated with red maples (Acer rubrum), sugar maples (Acer saccharum), silver maples (Acer saccharinum), turkey oaks (Quercus laevis) and box elder maples (Acer negundo). Depending on where their host trees are, rosy maple moths have also been found in suburban areas.
Habitat Regions: temperate
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Other Habitat Features: suburban
Life cycle 9
Female rosy maple moths lay their fertilized eggs 24 hours after mating on the underside of the host leaf and then depart. After 2 weeks, the larvae hatch. Rosy maple moth larvae go through five instar stages. During the first three instars, the larvae live and eat together. Only by the 4th instar do the larvae feed independently. During the early instars, the larvae have shiny black heads and yellow bodies with black dorsal lines running vertically. The second body segments of the larvae have two yellow tubercles, each terminating with two setae. Their bodies are sparsely covered with short setae. Their legs are black and have yellow tips. As they pass through the second and third instars, their body color and stripes begin to darken. Between 6 to 11 days after hatching, the brood molts and emerges with deeper colors, two long black dorsal horns near their head, and 6 short but sharp spines on the rest of the segments. About 12 days after hatching, the larvae undergo another molt. This molt leaves the larvae relatively the same in appearance. About 1 week later, the larvae undergo a third molt and emerge with brown heads and varied body colors. The body colors range from dark and light green, black and green, and black and yellow. Spotting also occurs in their first segments. Pupation occurs 10 to 14 days after the third molt. Pupae stages vary in length from 4 to 7 days.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
Sources and Credits
- (c) Patrick Coin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/42264328@N00/1287696868
- (c) Jim Vargo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files1/JV/300/JV7715-300-40.jpg
- (c) 2009 Barry Rice, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=288927&one=T
- (c) Bob Patterson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files1/Live/BP/BP7715-061110.jpg
- (c) Jessica, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jessica
- (c) Rachel Wolffe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Rachel Wolffe
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryocampa_rubicunda
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31391811
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31391813
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Animal Diversity Web
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- BugGuide
- Butterflies and Moths of North America
- CUIC Insect Images
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- Maryland Moths
- Mass Moths
- Moth Photographers Group
- Moths of North Carolina
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
