295:, and trail-following behavior in its larval stage. The larvae are brightly colored, with bright black and yellow bands, which signal their unpleasant taste to birds. The larvae are also fatally poisonous to some species of birds. During the day, the larvae rest in large conspicuous masses on the trunks of trees, and descend at night to feed. When returning at dawn, they follow a silk-less pheromone trail to their original central place location. This social behavior is remarkable for the larvae; other members of the genus live more solitary lives.
33:
81:
53:
615:, Mexico are known to gather and consume the early instar larvae. Larvae can be cooked and then eaten as an alternative source of protein. People are also known to preserve the larvae in a vinegar solution that gives them the taste of herring. Larvae are usually sold in the streets either in ambulant markets or by independent street vendors.
562:
occurs in June, shortly after the beginning of the rainy season. The pupae eclose after spending a long dry season as solitary and dormant pupae 2–10 cm below the soil surface. In captivity, both sexes eclose about an hour after dark and mating takes place on the same night pupation occurs. The
547:
can be used by a particular group of caterpillars, though research has found that individual caterpillars do not exhibit strict site fidelity. An individual caterpillar may sometime shift sites when descended of the tree, depending on which pheromone trails it decides to follow on its return journey
539:
of the abdomen of giant silk moth caterpillars onto the host plant. Crude extracts of homogenated somatic tissue can also elicit the same response. The trail marker is hypothesized to be a component of the cuticle that is passively deposited from the posterior-ventral region of the abdomen as larvae
519:
known where silk is not produced at all when foraging. The trails they follow are all pheromone based. The pheromones are deposited by caterpillars as they move to distant feed sites. These trails facilitate the re-aggregation of the group at the new feeding location and help prevent separation. At
511:
By the fourth instar the larvae begin to rest diurnally in large conspicuous masses on the lower trunk of larger branches. They adopt a new feeding behavior, called central place foraging. In this behavior, caterpillars rest during the day in large visible groups, then mobilize at dusk to forage
572:
Occasionally females will split the clutch into two roughly equal-sized masses, both of which may be laid on the same night or over two nights. The average egg mass contains about 300 to 400 eggs. Females live for 6 to 8 days after eclosion, just like other related
333:
will eclose (emerge). The adult form of the species are large brown moths which possess a wingspan of 100–120 mm. The adults will mate the same night they emerge, and afterwards the females will lay their eggs in large batches on the underside tree leaves.
497:
nor solitary. They hatch in groups, and feed together, side-by-side on leaves. They employ a nomadic foraging technique, moving together when resources are exhausted. During the nomadic foraging phase, the caterpillars utilize a
502:
trail to promote group cohesion, as well as mark trails between feeding sites. In the fourth instar and onwards, the pheromone trail is mainly used as a marker to convey information for relocation to the central place site.
480:
Predation and/or parasitism is hypothesized to have played a role in the grouping behavior and aposematism of the giant silk moth. It is known that the late instar larvae are lethally poisonous to predators such as
739:"Philosophy, navigation and use of a dynamic database ("ACG Caterpillars SRNP") for an inventory of the macrocaterpillar fauna, and its food plants and parasitoids, of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG)"
540:
move over the host plant. Tree architecture also plays a role in re-aggregation. Trees with a single trunk funnel aggregate returning caterpillars more quickly and more densely than those with multiple trunks.
454:
foraging. As they age, these moths display a shift to a central foraging location so that larvae feed solitarily at night but, when done feeding, ascend to the canopy at roughly the same time to rest
588:
lay one or two eggs at a time and at different individual trees. The caterpillars of other arsenurites are cryptic and not social, and will hence benefit more from being laid in single batches.
485:
nestlings, among others, when swallowed. The bright colors, augmented by the large number of caterpillars in a larval mass, are a visible deterrent to any would-be predators.
618:
There exist no laws to regulate the collection and commercialization of these organisms, which are consumed in enormous quantities and could be in risk of extinction.
551:
Larvae continue this central place foraging behavior until they leave the tree as prepupates to solitarily excavate a pupation chamber in the soil, where they pupate.
465:
history, larval nutritional ecology, size or appearance, and defensive ecology. Such behavior shifts can be found in other species. For instance, the larvae of many
1084:
649:
1110:
399:
The adults are large brown moths that like to rest with spread wings. They are predominantly dull colored, though some may display complex patterns. The adult
396:, and black tentacle-like protuberances on the dorsum of the thoracic segments. The intersegmental membrane is colored with thin orange-yellow rings.
1058:
461:
Hypotheses have been made to try and explain this shift in behavior. In general, caterpillar feeding behavior is shaped by the joint effects of
329:, it will descend from the larval mass, excavate a small chamber in the soil and pupate. Then, shortly after the rainy season in June, the
493:
The larvae hatch from large egg masses laid on the underside of leaves. Unlike their close relatives, the first-instar larvae are neither
1097:
974:
411:
The giant silk moth occurs mainly in
Central and Southern America, from tropical Mexico to southeastern Brazil. They can be found on
584:
behavior. Female moths lay all of their eggs in a large cluster on the underside of a leaf, whereas females from other species of
1166:
443:
in all phases of larval development. A peculiar phenomenon is the shift in different forms of social behavior from early to late
1161:
1156:
808:
Costa, J.T.; Fitzgerald, T.D.; Janzen, D.H. (2001). "Trail-following behavior and natural history of the social caterpillar of
775:
512:
nocturnally as solitary larvae in the canopy. At dawn, they return to the original central place using pheromone trails.
873:"Edible Lepidoptera in Mexico: Geographic distribution, ethnicity, economic and nutritional importance for rural people"
1032:
923:
1115:
80:
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431:
plants. They are also found in Costa Rica in all wildland ecosystems from dry forest to very wet rain-forest.
494:
985:
738:
389:
1102:
1037:
838:"Late-instar shift in foraging strategy and trail-pheromone use by caterpillars of the Neotropical moth
466:
175:
67:
1151:
1023:
32:
62:
969:
643:
201:
75:
599:
The giant silk moth is edible in its larval stage and is consumed by some indigenous peoples of
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1128:
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dawn, caterpillars will follow a pheromone trail to the original central place site to form
345:, the larvae are also a form of sustenance; they are gathered and eaten after being cooked.
899:
872:
450:
In early instars, the larvae aggregate at all times in different patches and engage in
40:
1145:
281:
192:
569:, where they will lay their entire egg load in one mass on the underside of a leaf.
928:(Cramer, 1779) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), "cuecla" en Ixcohuapa, Veracruz, México"
783:
462:
1050:
667:
1071:
1017:
604:
585:
581:
516:
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426:
381:
357:
317:
288:
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It is the only known
Neotropical arsenurinae to exhibit a combination of strong
261:
142:
132:
1008:
388:
are darker and "duskier" than early instars. They possess a dark brown head, a
946:
574:
455:
361:
292:
52:
712:
580:
The giant silk moth differs drastically from its close relatives in terms of
384:
through their bright yellow and black-ringed bodies and red heads. The later
608:
528:
499:
440:
369:
338:
112:
92:
950:
908:
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559:
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Studies have shown that larval trail following can be elicited by wiping
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979:
683:
393:
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is also known as the giant silk moth. It belongs to the subfamily
299:
636:
Les
Attacidae américains/The Attacidae (= Saturniidae) of America
803:
801:
799:
797:
795:
793:
330:
257:
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following night, females look for a suitable food plant like
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begin as cryptic mimics of bird droppings but then switch to
515:
To date, giant silk moth larvae are one of the few social
812:
in Costa Rica (Lepdioptera: Saturniidae: Arsenurinae)".
360:, consisting of approximately 57 species of Neotropical
264:. It is found mainly in South and Central America, from
743:
Caterpillars, pupae, butterflies & moths of the ACG
672:. Berkeley: University of California Press, Berkeley.
992:
439:Giant silk moth caterpillars are noted for their
836:Costa, J.T.; Gotzek, D.A.; Janzen, D.H. (2003).
769:
767:
765:
763:
922:Landero-Torres, I.; Oliva-Rivera, H. (2012).
8:
980:
648:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
51:
31:
20:
898:
888:
877:Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
591:The eggs will hatch after 12 to 14 days.
732:
730:
866:
864:
862:
661:
659:
626:
849:Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
641:
669:Latin American Insects and Entomology
7:
842:(Cramer) (Saturniidae: Arsenurinae)"
507:Late instars – fourth to prepupation
14:
607:. The Ixcohuapa community of the
337:To the indigenous people of the
79:
638:. Neuilly, France. p. 199.
713:"Subfamily Arsenurinae: Genus
489:Early instars – first to third
1:
871:Ramos-Elorduy, Julia (2011).
376:Morphology and identification
280:. It was first described by
531:material collected from the
603:. This practice is called
1183:
935:Cuadernos de Biodiversidad
947:10.14198/cdbio.2012.38.02
380:The young larvae exhibit
325:After the larva's fourth
238:Godman & Salvin, 1886
207:
200:
181:
174:
76:Scientific classification
74:
59:
50:
39:
30:
23:
595:Interactions with humans
407:Distribution and habitat
392:covered with fine short
1167:Moths described in 1779
555:Eclosion and adult life
435:Life cycle and behavior
1162:Moths of South America
1157:Moths of North America
926:Arsenura armida armida
890:10.1186/1746-4269-7-2
924:"Uso de la larva de
814:Tropical Lepidoptera
666:Hogue, C.L. (1993).
634:Lemaire, C. (1980).
403:is 100–120 mm.
364:found from tropical
548:to a central site.
349:Taxonomy and naming
235:Arsenura erythrinae
63:Bombacopsis quinata
477:in later instars.
219:Phalaena cassandra
68:Rincón de la Vieja
1139:
1138:
1124:Open Tree of Life
986:Taxon identifiers
566:Guazuma ulmifolia
414:Guazuma ulmifolia
305:Guazuma ulmifolia
276:to south-eastern
245:
244:
239:
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227:Bombyx erythrinae
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949:. Archived from
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782:. Archived from
774:Costa, James T.
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745:. Archived from
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1024:Arsenura armida
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994:Arsenura armida
988:
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840:Arsenura armida
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810:Arsenura armida
807:
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778:Arsenura armida
773:
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688:(Cramer, 1779)"
686:Arsenura armida
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354:Arsenura armida
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254:giant silk moth
249:Arsenura armida
230:Fabricius, 1781
211:Phalaena armida
196:
189:
185:Arsenura armida
183:
170:
78:
25:Arsenura armida
17:
16:Species of moth
12:
11:
5:
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964:External links
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960:
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956:on 2013-10-29.
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786:on 2014-11-15.
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721:Fauna Paraguay
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582:ovipositioning
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473:or aggressive
441:gregariousness
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293:gregariousness
260:of the family
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749:on 2020-02-13
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737:Janzen, D.H.
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176:Binomial name
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970:Species info
951:the original
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934:
925:
917:
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848:
839:
817:
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784:the original
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751:. Retrieved
747:the original
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695:. Retrieved
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467:swallowtails
463:phylogenetic
460:
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368:to northern
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61:
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18:
1152:Arsenurinae
1072:iNaturalist
1018:Wikispecies
941:(38): 4–8.
692:Insecta.pro
605:entomophagy
586:Arsenurinae
517:Lepidoptera
471:aposematism
427:Bombacopsis
422:membranacea
382:aposematism
358:Arsenurinae
318:Bombacopsis
313:membranacea
289:aposematism
262:Saturniidae
143:Saturniidae
133:Lepidoptera
1146:Categories
753:2009-10-15
697:23 October
622:References
575:saturniids
362:saturniids
113:Arthropoda
60:Larvae on
644:cite book
609:Zongolica
543:The same
529:cuticular
500:pheromone
456:diurnally
370:Argentina
339:Zongolica
284:in 1779.
161:Species:
99:Kingdom:
93:Eukaryota
1098:LepIndex
1090:10333288
1009:Q1350792
1003:Wikidata
909:21211040
883:(2): 2.
820:: 17–23.
715:Arsenura
613:Veracruz
611:area of
560:Eclosion
522:bivouacs
429:quinatum
420:Rollinia
401:wingspan
343:Veracruz
341:area of
320:quinatum
311:Rollinia
302:feed on
222:Cramer,
214:Cramer,
202:Synonyms
154:Arsenura
139:Family:
109:Phylum:
103:Animalia
89:Domain:
1064:1866311
900:3034662
545:bivouac
495:cryptic
475:mimicry
452:nomadic
445:instars
386:instars
274:Ecuador
270:Bolivia
256:, is a
195:, 1779)
149:Genus:
129:Order:
123:Insecta
119:Class:
1129:827966
1116:315972
1077:257159
975:Images
907:
897:
601:Mexico
537:dorsum
533:venter
483:trogon
424:, and
366:Mexico
327:instar
300:larvae
278:Brazil
272:, and
266:Mexico
252:, the
193:Cramer
45:Panama
41:Gamboa
1103:65009
1085:IRMNG
1038:10089
954:(PDF)
931:(PDF)
845:(PDF)
394:setae
1111:NCBI
1059:GBIF
1051:GV7J
1033:BOLD
905:PMID
699:2013
650:link
535:and
390:soma
331:pupa
315:and
298:The
258:moth
1046:CoL
943:doi
895:PMC
885:doi
268:to
66:at
1148::
1126::
1113::
1100::
1087::
1074::
1061::
1048::
1035::
1020::
1005::
939:38
937:.
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903:.
893:.
879:.
875:.
861:^
853:57
851:.
847:.
826:^
818:12
816:.
792:^
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729:^
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646:}}
642:{{
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881:7
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756:.
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701:.
684:"
652:)
191:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
