DISTRIBUTION:

The Antheraea harti moth (wingspan 120-150 mm) is the dark, almost chocolate brown, form of Antheraea pernyi.

Antheraea harti male, courtesy of Dave Rolfe.

Antheraea harti female, courtesy of Dave Rolfe.

Originally from Amur, the moth was imported, for larval silk spinning prowess, into southern China and westward throughout southern Europe where isolated populations still exist.

ECLOSION:

Moths emerge from large, valveless cocoons.

SCENTING AND MATING:

These moths mate at night and remain coupled for up to twenty hours. The moths mate readily in captivity even under cold, cramped conditions. My father has had moths emerge and mate while in cold storage in small boxes.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

First instar larvae are black and devour a portion of eggshell before feeding on foliage. Larvae are solitary upon emergence and move away from small egg rows of four to six on hostplant foliage to hide on undersides of leaves.

Feeding continues for 5-6 days when larvae become quiescient in preparation for first moult when they turn green. Larvae remain green for next four instars and grow to be quite chunky. Photos courtesy of Kurt Himmelbauer.

Each instar, except for the longer fifth one, lasts approximately five-seven days depending upon temperature and humidity. A fifth instar larva courtesy of Leroy Simon is depicted to the right.

A great deal of larval bulk goes into the spinning of large, oval, soft-silk cocoons. The ability to produce large amounts of soft silk led to the importation of this moth into southern China and then westward into southern Europe where there are still isolated populations.

Image courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Listed below are the preferred and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Quercus alba Quercus falcata Quercus lyrata Quercus macrocarpa...... Quercus palustris Quercus phellos Quercus serrata Quercus robar Quercus stellata

White oak Southern red oak Overcup oak Bur oak Pin oak Willow oak Konara oak English oak Post oak

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