Anisota virginiensis

The female's wings are purplish red with ochre-yellow. They have thin scales and are almost transparent. The male's wings are purplish brown with a large transparent space in the middle.[2] The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.

The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba,[3] and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs.[4]

Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning.[3] It is a rapid process. The male and female stay together for the rest of the day and then the female finds a place to lay eggs, usually under oak leaves.[3] Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition.[5]

The caterpillars are gray or greenish with dull brownish yellow or rosy stripes. There are scales on each segment and two long spines on the mesothorax.[2] The caterpillars pupate for a short time.[3] They feed on the foliage of oak trees, maples, birches, and hazels. The caterpillar overwinters in the soil as a pupa. Caterpillars that are newly hatched or are in the middle of growing feed in groups while those that are mature or nearly so feed separately.[6] The caterpillar is about an eighth of an inch long. The head is large in proportion to the body. The inside of the mouth is yellow. The legs are semi-translucent.[7]

Conservation regimes are not required for this species.[4] It is considered a pest of forests because it defoliates trees.[6] Outbreaks can be treated with an arsenical spray.[8]

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  Mating
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  Eggs
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  Larvae feeding on Quercus texana
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  Larva
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  Pupa