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Anisota virginiensis, the pink-striped oakworm moth, is a species of silk moth of the family Saturniidae.

Anisota virginiensis
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Saturniidae
Genus:	Anisota
Species:	A. virginiensis
Binomial name
Anisota virginiensis (Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
Phalaena virginiensis Drury, 1773 Phalaena pellucida Smith, 1797 Anisota sinulis Riotte, 1970 Anisota virginiensis pellucida (Smith, 1797) [1] Anisota virginiensis discolor Ferguson, 1971 [1]

Description

The female's wings are purplish red with ochre-yellow. They have thin scales and are almost transparent. The male's wings are purplish brown with a large transparent space in the middle.[2] The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.

Habitat

The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba,[3] and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs.[4]

Biology

Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning.[3] It is a rapid process. The male and female stay together for the rest of the day and then the female finds a place to lay eggs, usually under oak leaves.[3] Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition.[5]

The caterpillars are gray or greenish with dull brownish yellow or rosy stripes. There are scales on each segment and two long spines on the mesothorax.[2] The caterpillars pupate for a short time.[3] They feed on the foliage of oak trees, maples, birches, and hazels. The caterpillar overwinters in the soil as a pupa. Caterpillars that are newly hatched or are in the middle of growing feed in groups while those that are mature or nearly so feed separately.[6] The caterpillar is about an eighth of an inch long. The head is large in proportion to the body. The inside of the mouth is yellow. The legs are semi-translucent.[7]

Ecology

Conservation regimes are not required for this species.[4] It is considered a pest of forests because it defoliates trees.[6] Outbreaks can be treated with an arsenical spray.[8]

Life cycle gallery

• 
  Mating
• 
  Eggs
• 
  Larvae feeding on Quercus texana
• 
  Larva
• 
  Pupa

References

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