The Pine Devil*
Citheronia sepulcralis (Grote and Robinson) (Saturniidae)

L.L. Hyche, Associate Professor
Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology
Auburn University
10/2001

The pine devil (Photo 1) occurs in pine forests of the eastern coastal states, Florida, and coastal areas of Gulf states west into Louisiana. The range in Alabama includes the southernmost one-fourth of the state.

Life Cycle, Description, and Habits

The species overwinters as a pupa in the soil. Moths emerge in spring and lay eggs singly or in small groups at the base of needles of pine hosts. Two broods apparently occur in the southern area, spring-early summer and summer-early fall. The full-grown caterpillar is 70-90 mm. long and equipped with large spines similar to, but less spectacular than, those of its relative the hickory horned devil. Larvae are solitary feeders .

 

Occurrence, Damage, Importance

The pine devil is rare in Alabama. It has not been found or reported to be a pest of trees in the state. The caterpillars shown here were reared from eggs by William Reynolds, then a graduate student in entomology at Auburn, now curator of the Arthropod Zoo, North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh.

*Information on range, description, and habits of the pine devil is from Tuskes, et al. 1996. The Wild Silk Moths of North America. Comstock Publishing Associated, Cornell University. Press. Ithaca, N.Y.

For additional information lhyche@acesag.auburn.edu

[ Saturniidae ]   [ Lepidoptera ]   [ Foliage Feeders ]   [ Crown Insects ]   [ Alabama Trees ]

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