DRYOCAMPA RUBICUNDA
FABRICIUS, 1793

Dryocampa rubicunda (male) scan by Bill Oehlke

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Ceratocampinae Harris, 1841 was Citheroniinae Neumoegen & Dyar, 1894 Genus: Dryocampa Harris, 1833 Species: rubicunda, Fabricius, 1793

MIDI MUSIC "WhatAWonderfulWorld" copyright C. Odenkirk MIDI CITY ON.OFF <bgsound src="world.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTON:

Dryocampa rubicunda, the Rosy Maple Moth (wingspan 42-55mm), flies throughout the eastern half of the United States northward to southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

On Prince Edward Island, rubicunda begin flying in late May and are still around in mid August as a single generation. Partial second broods are sometimes encountered in the New England states, but south of the Carolinas there are two and possibly even three broods with moths on the wing from January to October.

Maples, particularly red and silver and sugar, are the prefered host plants for rubicunda.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males and the slightly larger females eclose from 4:00 to 8:00 pm and mating occurs fro 10:00-12:00 the same evening.

Both sexes come to lights, but males seem to be much more prevalent. Captured females will ovaposit in paper bags.,

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Pale yellow eggs are laid inclusters of 20-30 on undersides of hostplant foliage. Incubation can last up to two weeks.

Larvae are gregarious through first three of five instars, but in the final two instars they become solitary. With mature larvae attaining lengths of 55 mm, much damage can be done to maple trees during an extremely favorable year for rubicunda. Small heads and strong mandibles often allow this larva to escape through sleeves.

Image courtesy of Tony Thomas

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

Acer negundo Acer rubrum Acer saccharinum........ Acer saccharum Fagus grandifolia Juglans cinera Quercus coccinea Quercus ilicifolia Quercus velutina

Box elder/Manitoba maple Red maple Silver maple Sugar maple American beech Butternut Scarlet oak Bear oak Black oak

Please visit other websites maintained by
Bill Oehlke oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Box 476, Peardon Road
Montague, Prince Edward Island
Canada C0A 1R0.

SATURNIIDAE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
EUROPEAN SATURNIIDAE
NORTH AMERICAN SATURNIIDAE
BUTTERFLIES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Return to SPHINGIDAE OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Return to Ceratocampinae Index
Return to Caterpillar Identification Guide