Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
lepido = scale and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
The wings are covered with small scales.
Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
Family: Saturniidae (giant silkworm and royal moths)
Silk Moths are large moths, some among the largest moths in the Park.
This is primarily a montane species. It is found in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, and, in Texas, occurs east to the Davis Mountains. In Arizona, the caterpillar feeds on species of Ceanothus and manzanita. There is a specimen in the Park's museum collected 1992 June 27,28 at Dog Canyon.
References
Tuskes, P.M., Tuttle, J. & Collins, M. 1996
Wild Silk Moths of North America, page 152 & plates 19
Covell, C.V. 1984
Peterson Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America, page 49 & plate 10 #2,4, c 1984
This striking moth flies during the daytime.
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