Larch Silkworm (Hyalophora columbia columbia)

Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Bombycoidea
Family	Saturniidae
Subfamily	Saturniinae
Tribe	Attacini
Genus	Hyalophora
Species	Hyalophora columbia

Scientific Name

Hyalophora columbia columbia

Common Name

Columbia moth

Maier, C.T.; Lemmon, C.R.; Fengler, J.M.; Schweitzer, D.F.; Reardon, R.C.; Caterpillars on the Foliage of Conifers in the Northeastern United States. Morgantown, WV. USDA Forest Service. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. FHTET-2004-01. March 2004. 151 p.

Description

Green body with prominent, paired dorsal tubercles and smaller lateral ones. Green head with bluish labrum and with short dark line at sides of frons; four small black spots in bluish anterior half of prothoracic shield. Spined, reddish and black tubercles on T2, T3, and A1; white dorsal tubercles on A2 to A7 tinged with yellow near tip; large, white middorsal tubercle on A8 with black spots and with yellow tint at tip. White supraspiracular and subspiracular tubercles with blue base; white spiracles; prolegs larger on A10 than on other segments. Up to 90 mm.

Food

Eastern larch.

Life Cycle

One generation. Pupa overwinters in compact, silken cocoon on branch or trunk of tree or shrub. Mature caterpillar present from July to September.

Comments

The larch silkworm is a northern subspecies, occurring in the Great Lakes States, northern New York, northern New England, and southern Canada. Records of this subspecies from other woody plants probably came from caterpillars that were seeking a site for pupation.