Dryocampa

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Dryocampa: /draɪoʊˈkæmpə/

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Summary

Dryocampa rubicunda, or the rosy maple moth, is a small North American moth known for its woolly body and distinctive pink and yellow coloration. It primarily feeds on maple leaves during its larval stage, and its populations can cause temporary defoliation under dense conditions.

Physical Characteristics

Males have a wingspan of 3.2 to 4.4 cm; females have a wingspan of 3.8 to 5 cm. The species exhibits a pink and yellow coloration that varies from cream or white to bright pink or yellow, with reddish-to-pink legs and antennae, yellow bodies, pink forewings, and hindwings, with a triangular yellow band across the middle.

Identification Tips

The rosy maple moth can be identified by its unique and varying pink and yellow coloration, as well as by the bushier antennae of males compared to females.

Habitat

Can be found in temperate deciduous forests and nearby suburban areas, primarily on maple trees and occasionally oak trees.

Distribution

Lives across the eastern and northern United States and adjacent regions of Canada, including southern regions of Canada, Dade County, Florida, and extending west from eastern Texas through Minnesota.

Diet

Caterpillars (greenstriped mapleworms) feed mainly on the leaves of red maple, silver maple, and sugar maple.

Life Cycle

Undergoes five instars from larvae to adulthood, with larvae living for about two to nine months, depending on the environment and environmental conditions. Moths can spend much of their life cycle as a pupa over the winter months.

Reproduction

Adult females lay yellow ovular eggs in groups of 10 to 40 on the underside of maple leaves. Most females reproduce only once, but may lay eggs up to three times in southern regions.

Predators

Predators include various bird species such as blue jays, black-capped chickadees, and tufted titmice.

Ecosystem Role

Plays a role as a herbivore in their ecosystem, primarily affecting host trees through leaf consumption during the larval stage.

Tags

• moth
• Lepidoptera
• Saturniidae
• Dryocampa rubicunda
• North America