Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSaturniidae Members: Dryocampa Members: 770 NC Records

Dryocampa rubicunda (Fabricius, 1793) - Rosy Maple Moth

Dryocampa rubicundaDryocampa rubicundaDryocampa rubicundaDryocampa rubicunda
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Saturniidae		Subfamily:
Caratocaminae		P3 Number:
890022		 MONA Number:
7715.00		 Other Common Name:
Green-striped Mapleworm
Comments: The only member of its genus (see Ferguson, 1971, for its separation from Anisota). Several color forms have been described, one of which -- alba, a nearly all white form -- Ferguson recognized as a distinct subspecies. Only the typical bicolored form occurs in North Carolina, however.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1923), Ferguson (1971), Tuskes et al. (1996)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1923), Ferguson (1971), Covell (1984), Tuskes et al. (1996), Wagner (2005)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: The bright yellow and pink adults are nearly unmistakeable. Only the Pink Prominent (Hyparpax aurora) and Primrose Moth (Schinia florida) are similar in color, although usually smaller. The subterminal area is yellow in S. florida, but red or pink in both Dryocampa and Hyparpax. The thorax of Dryocampa is completely yellow-orange, whereas in Hyparpax there is usually some pink color (Covell, 1984). The antemedian line is somewhat smoothly curved in Dryocampa but sharply angled in Hyparpax (Covell, 1984).
Wingspan: 40 mm, males; 50 mm, females (Forbes, 1923)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: The larvae are very distinctive: they possess a pair of thoracic horns similar to those of Anisota larvae, but are striped with green and pale bluish-green stripes and often possess a pink or rosy patch below the spiracles at the rear end of the abdomen (Ferguson, 1971; Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide (Brimley, 1938), except, perhaps on the Outer Banks and other barrier islands
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Dryocampa rubicundaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.