Lebeau's Rothschildia

Rothschildea lebeau

A large moth, medium reddish brown in color, with characteristic clear spots on both hindwings and forewings. Adults emerge in the early evening, and mating occurs from about 10 PM to midnight. Egg-laying begins the following evening and continues over several nights, with the females laying eggs in rows of 3-6 on the host plants. Young caterpillars feed in groups while older ones are solitary feeders. The cocoon hangs on a twig during the winter, attached by a strong silken stem.
Lebeau's Rothschildia (Rothschildia lebeau) Butterfly,Costa Rica,Geotagged,Lebeau's Rothschildia,Rothschildea lebeau

Appearance

Wings are reddish brown with an olive tinge. Upperside of forewing has large clear spots that touch or pass through the postmedian band. Postmedian band on each wing is irregular with a narrow white band.

Distribution

North, Central and South America. From South America to southernmost tip of Texas.

Status

All United States populations should be conserved and monitored.

Food

Juveniles forage on a wide range of native and introduced plants including lime prickly ash (Zanthoxylum fagara), Mexican ash (Fraxinus berlandieriana), willow (Salix), peach (Prunus persica), citrus (Citrus), and acacia (Acacia). The adult from does not feed.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Rothschildia-lebeau
http://www.butterflies.si.edu/species/LebeausRothschildia.htm
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilySaturniidae
GenusRothschildia
SpeciesRothschildea lebeau
Photographed in
Costa Rica