DISTRIBUTION:

Anisota peigleri (wingspan: males: 31-36mm; females: 46-58mm) flies at moderate elevations and in dry scrub oak forests from southern Kentucky to central Florida. Peigleri may be the southernmost variation of senatoria rather than a distinct species.

Anisota peigleri pair (reared stock), Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia,
June, 1993, Cornell University Collection, via Ryan Saint Laurent.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Anisota peigleri adults are on the wing as single brood from mid July to late August.

Anisota peigleri larvae feed upon Quercus palustris and Quercus velutina in the wild.

Anisota peigleri female, Georgia.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Copulation usually lasts for a few hours and the female begins her egg-laying flights shortly after dusk.

Female Anisota peigleri have simple antennae.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Translucent eggs are deposited in clusters on host foliage or twigs. Early instar larvae are highly gregarious, and this trend continues to maturity. Photo by Leroy Simon.

Pupation is underground in a subterranean chamber excavated by the larva.

Anisota peigleri courtesy of University of Florida.

Anisota senatoria (possibly A. peigleri based on elongated scoli), courtesy of Wasil,
Forsyth County, NC in the vicinity of Winston-Salem, August 23, 2003.

It is difficult to distinguish A. senatoria and A. peigleri larvae from photographs. Tuskes, Tuttle and Collins in their execellent book, The Wild Silkmoths of North America, indicate mature A. peigleri larvae have "a pronounced row of dorsolateral scoli (lacking in senatoria and finlaysoni) and a general elongation of the dorsal and sublateral scoli." They also state "peigleri may not represnt a fully divergent species (from senatoria) but is rather the southern terminus of a cline."

Anisota peigleri fifth instar, Rock Hill, York County, South Carolina,
August 14, 2009, courtesy of Lonnie Huffman.

Both the Forsyth County, North Carolina, and the York County, South Carolina, images above seem to have the elongated scoli characteristic of A. peigleri, and the York County image also has the orange sublateral line most pronounced, supposedly a character of A. peigleri. However, the Forsyth County images shows the orange sublateral line much reduced. Perhaps DNA analysis will sort out if the two classifications have sufficient differences to stand on their own as distinct species.

Both locales are near the eastern most "limits" for A. peigleri in their respective states, and well within the stated ranges for A. senatoria.

Visit additional Anisota "peigleri" images from York County, South Carolina, courtesy of Lonnie Huffman.

Larval Food Plants

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.

Castanea sativa Castanea vulgaris Quercus falcata Quercus gambelii Quercus marilandica..... Quercus nigra Quercus palustris Quercus pubescens Quercus rubra Quercus velutina

Spanish/Sweet chestnut American chestnut Southern red oak Gambel oak Blackjack oak Water oak Pin oak Quercus pubescens Northern red oak Black oak

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