DISTRIBUTION:

The White-streaked saturnia moth, Saturnia (Calosaturnia) albofasciata (wing span: 2 - 2 1/2 inches (5 - 6.4 cm)) flies in mountain chaparral communities at moderate elevations from Lake County, California south through the Coast Range, southern California, and into Baja California Norte.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

A single brood flies in October and November.

Larvae feed on Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus), snowbush (C. cordulatus), desert ceanothus (C. greggii), and mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adults emerge in early afternoon, and mating takes place shortly afterwards. Females, which are larger than males, do not fly until they have mated. Photo (female) courtesy of Chris Conlan.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

After dark, females lay eggs in small groups on twigs of the host plant. Eggs overwinter and hatch in April. The tightly-spun cocoon is attached to a stem of the host plant.

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

Ceanothus cordulatus Ceanothus cuneatus Ceanothus greggii Ceanothus integerrimus Ceanothus leucodermis Ceanothus spinosa Cercocarpus betuloides Cercocarpus montanus Fremontodendron californicum.....

Mountain white-thorn Wedgeleaf ceanothus Desert Ceanothus Deer Brush Chapparral whitethorn Greenbark ceanothus Birchleaf cercocarpus True mountain mahogany Common Flannel Bush

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