Royal Walnut Moth
Citheronia regalis (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae
Identification: Females are larger than males. Upperside of forewing is gray with red-orange veins and creamy yellow spots. Upperside of hindwing is orange with creamy yellow at the costa and inner margin.
Wing Span: 3 15/16 - 6 1/4 inches (10 - 16 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in late evening and mate the following evening. Females begin laying eggs at dusk the next day, depositing them in groups of 1-3 on both sides of host plant leaves. Eggs hatch within 6-10 days, and the caterpillars (known as the Hickory Horned Devil) feed alone. Young caterpillars rest on the tops of leaves and resemble bird droppings, while older caterpillars appear menacing because they are very large and brightly colored with red "horns" near the head. Caterpillars pupate in a burrow in the soil.
Flight: One brood from May through mid-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Hickories (Carya), pecan (C. illinoensis), butternut (Juglans cinerea), black walnut (J. nigra), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), sumacs (Rhus), cultivated cotton (Gossypium), and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woods.
Range: New York west through southern Michigan and Illinois to eastern Kansas; south to central Florida, the Gulf states, and east Texas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 1076 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 09, 2021
Submitted by: tirvine2020
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2021
Observation date: Jul 20, 2021
Submitted by: abbeybevans23
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 21, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: LJKinne
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 17, 2021
Observation date: Jul 14, 2021
Submitted by: katieb7119
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2021
Observation date: Jul 13, 2021
Submitted by: Houston9311
Region: Macon County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2021
Submitted by: randomocitymakers
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 12, 2021
Observation date: Jul 07, 2021
Submitted by: Mjdz116
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 22, 2021
Submitted by: Meggieb08
Region: Cobb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 24, 2021
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: Willemo
Region: Jefferson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jun 02, 2021
Observation date: May 17, 2021
Submitted by: Skyler1399
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 18, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: Wolffoot
Region: Brown County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jan 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2017
Submitted by: ozcomomoths
Region: Ozark County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 27, 2002
Submitted by: Yaya0402
Region: Lawrence County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: edtechninja
Region: Franklin County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: Robjay6987
Region: Pulaski County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: Jbaggett1970
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 09, 2020
Submitted by: Jbaggett1970
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2019
Submitted by: kmoore3207
Region: Columbiana County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2020
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Jerry McWilliams)
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 01, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2020
Submitted by: ScreaminScott1
Region: Paulding County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 01, 2020
Observation date: Sep 04, 2016
Submitted by: Cardinal52
Region: St. Johns County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 26, 2020
Observation date: Sep 03, 2020
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 26, 2020
Observation date: Sep 19, 2020
Submitted by: Gt
Region: Fulton County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 21, 2020
Observation date: Sep 02, 2020
Submitted by: BigMcC62
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 11, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 5 of 45
- next ›