DISTRIBUTION:

Anisotra pellucida (wingspan: males: 27-37mm; females: 44-53mm) is treated as a color morph of virginiensis in The Wild Silk Moths of North America by Tuskes, Tuttle, and Collins, based on a "lack of diagnostic characters in genitalia, the consistency of maculation in adults, and the biology of the taxa."

Pellucida fly in the southeastern United States from Louisiana to the northern half of Florida. It is the deeper reddish-brown of pellucida that distinguishes them from virginiensis.

Anisota pellucida pair, courtesy of James Adams.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There are probably three broods per year in Florida with moths on the wing from May through September.

Larvae eat various oak species as well as chestnut.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Mating takes place from 9:30 am until noon and the pair remain coupled until evening.

The mating flight of the males is often classified as "bee mimicry" and pairing takes place very quickly. Males tend to be smaller than females and have an hyaline area, which is absent in the females, on the forewings.

This species mates readily in captivity, even in the smallest of cages.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Orange-yellow eggs are deposited in clusters of 10-100 on the undersides of oak foliage. Females will oviposit readily on the insides of brown paper bags.

Larvae are gregarious but divide into smaller clusters as they progress. The two broad pink longitudinal dorsolateral and sublateral lines of the final instar distinguish virginiensis/pellucida from other species in the genus. Photo by Leroy Simon.

Pupation is under the soil. Pupae are very rough and a chill seems to be necessary to promote diapause in second generation larvae/pupae reared under laboratory conditions.

Anisota pellucida, Florida, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

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 vulgaris Quercus falcata Quercus imbricaria Quercus lyrata Quercus marilandica...... Quercus macrocarpa Quercus myrtifolia Quercus nigra Quercus nuttalli Quercus palustris Quercus pubescens Quercus velutina

American chestnut Southern red oak Shingle oak Overcup oak Blackjack oak Bur oak Myrtle oak Water oak Nuttall oak Pin oak Oak Black oak

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