Anisota virginiensis
Updated as per Lemaire's Ceratocampinae 1988, September 28, 2006

Anisota virginiensis
an-nih-SOH-tuhmmvir-jin-ee-EN-sihs
(Drury, 1773) Phalaena

Anisota virginiensis moth (female) courtesy of William T. Hark

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae, Harris 1841
Genus: Anisota, Hübner, 1820 ("1816")
Species: virginiensis, (Drury, 1773)

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DISTRIBUTION:

Anisota virginiensis, The Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (wingspan: males: 29-36mm; females: 43-51mm) flies in deciduous woodland, suburbs, and tree-lined city streets from Nova Scotia west across the Great Lakes states to Manitoba and Minnesota; south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and east Texas.

Virginiensis is the most widely distributed Anisota species, and many classify discolor and pellucida as color variations of virginiensis.

Male A. virginiensis tend to be quite dark, but lack any black speckling on the forewing. The hyaline area on the male forewing is pronounced and larger than in other species.

Females tend to be without dark spotting or with reduced spotting. All the female A. virginiensis I have seen on Prince Edward Island show a very clear "complexion" with a stong contrast between the purplish marginal area and the orangey median area. The light purple spotting on the female below was reason for more detailed analysis.

Anisota virginiensis pair, Big Sugar Creek Park, McDonald County, Missouri,
June 10, 2009, photo courtesy of Allison Vaughn, Division of State Parks, Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
submitted with permission by Tim Vogt, id confirmed by DNA barcoding analysis, courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie.

Anisota virginiensis pair, Big Sugar Creek Park, McDonald County, Missouri,
June 10, 2009, photo courtesy of Allison Vaughn, Division of State Parks, Missouri Department of Natural Resources,
submitted with permission by Tim Vogt, id confirmed by DNA barcoding analysis, courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There is one Anisota virginiensis brood from June-July in the north, at least two broods from May-September in the south, and probably several broods throughout the year in Florida.

Larvae feed on various oaks (Quercus species).

Here on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada, I sometimes find larvae in the rearing sleeves I use for polyphemus and lunas on Betula papyrifera. I also find them on various oak species.

Anisota virginiensis female, Fillmore, Bossier Parish, Louisiana,
August 11, 2010, courtesy of Jeff Trahan.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Anisota virginiensis adult males are day fliers and mate in the morning.

Anisota virginiensis, July 29, 2005, Jasper Co., SC, courtesy of Wasil Khan.

Females are larger than males and the upperside of female is orange with pale purple at the margins of the wings. Scattered black specks are reduced or absent.

Anisota virginiensis female, Salem County, New Jersey, courtesy of Jesse Donovan.

The upperside of the male (below) is dark bergundy-brown with some red on the hindwing and a large translucent (hyaline) area on the forewing. Both sexes have a small white cell spot on the forewing.


Anisota virginiensis male, reared from egg from female in Montague, Prince Edward Island,
scan by Bill Oehlke

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Females lay orangey-brown eggs after dusk in groups on the underside of oak leaves.

Oily looking first instar oakworm larvae feed in groups, stripping foliage except for leaf vein skeletons.

Several females were taken at my mercury vapour light in Montague, P.E.I., in early July. The females oviposited readily in small brown paper bags.

Gregarious feeding continues into final instar at which time pink-striped oakworm larvae leave foliage and pupate and overwinter in shallow underground burrows.

Larvae scans by Bill Oehlke


Pupae are very rough and have an elongated forked cremaster. Sharp projections along side of pupae are similar to those of Dryocampa rubicunda.

Larval Food Plants


Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae and/or in other references. 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.

Betula papyrifera
Carpinus caroliniana.....
Castanea dentata
Corylus
Fagus grandifolia
Quercus alba
Quercus falcata
Quercus macrocarpa
Quercus marilandica
Quercus nigra
Quercus palustris
Quercus petraea
Quercus prinus
Quercus robar
Quercus rubra
Quercus stellata
Quercus velutina

Paper Birch
American hornbeam
American chestnut
Hazel
American Beech
White oak
Southern Red Oak
Bur oak
Blackjack oak
Water oak
Pin oak
Durmast oak
Chestnut oak
English oak
Northern red oak
Post 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 "virginiensis" comes from the specimen type locality, Virginia.

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

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