DISTRIBUTION:

Anisota punctata (wingspan: males: smaller than females; females: 72mm) flies in
Mexico: San Luis Potosi; Nuevo Leon (1365m; RSL), and in
Belize. In Mexico it is probably limited to the Sierra Madre Oriental.

The abdomen is black, the hindwing is dull rose, and there is considerable sprinkling of black dots on the forewing.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in May and in July-August.

Anisota punctata larvae probably feed upon Quercus species in the wild.

Anisota punctata female, courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara.

Anisota punctata female, Mexico, courtesy of Daniel Herbin.

Anisota punctata female, Mesa de Chipinque, Nuevo Leon, Mexico,
July 17, 1965, 1365m, courtys of Cornell University Collection, via Ryan Saint Laurent.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males are much smaller than females and probably use their more highly developed antennae to seek out their mates from mid morning 10:00 am until early evening 5:00 pm.

Copulation usually lasts for a few hours and the female probably begins her ovipositing flights shortly after dusk.

Female Anisota punctata 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.

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

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 gambelii Quercus marilandica..... Quercus nigra Quercus palustris Quercus pubescens Quercus rubra Quercus velutina

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

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The species name "punctata" is probably descriptive for the numerous dark dots on all wings.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Anisota".

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