REGAL MOTH

also called Royal Moth, any member of the insect family Citheroniidae (order Lepidoptera), occurring only in the New World. Although sometimes classified as the subfamily Citheroniinae of the giant silkworm moth family (Saturniidae), regal moths differ. The antennae of the male regal moth are partially, rather than completely, feathery as in the saturniids, and the wing pattern and venation differ. The ferocious-looking but harmless hickory horned devil caterpillar (larva of the royal walnut moth, Citheronia regalis) has a black-spined, green body and black-tipped red spines behind its head. It eats principally walnut, hickory, and persimmon leaves. The adult has yellow-spotted, olive-gray forewings with red veins; its reddish-orange hindwings have yellow markings. The imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) has yellow wings and body with purple to brown markings. The green body of the larva has a sparse covering of long white hairs and yellow horns; the head is brown. Striped Anisota larvaee.g., the green-striped mapleworm, A. rubicunda; the pink-striped oakworm, A. virginiensis; and the orange-striped oakworm, A. senatoriacause much damage, particularly to maple, oak, and box elder trees.