05/04/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Classification:

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Arthropoda

Class – Insecta

Order – Lepidoptera

Family – Saturniidae

Genus – Anisota

Species – stigma

 

The Spiny Oakworm moth occurs in various habitats but is a scrub habitat specialist. I viewed this species outside of a car wash in South Carolina. Its distinctive bright orange body with two darker orange wings and also the white dot on both wings made it stand out.

 

Life Cycle: 

 

• The Spiny Oakworm moth lays eggs in clusters of 5–20. These eggs usually hatch about two weeks later.

 

• The larvae (caterpillars) have an orange head, brown thoracic and abdominal segments. The name for the moth as “spiny” is actually because of its caterpillars which are covered with two black spines that protrude from both sides of the black stripe that run down their back. The spines toward the head are immensely long. They are known to feed on Oak leaves often in groups in their initial instars.

 

• When the caterpillars are fully grown, they pupate & overwinter somewhere in chambers underground. 

 

• Adult males are more reddish/orange than adult females. When the wings are open the top of the wing is orange-brown & the lower is a purple-pink with a purple line separating them. Adults do not feed.

 

The range is Southeastern Canada, Southern New England west to Minnesota, south to central Florida, the gulf coast & central Texas.