Species Datana integerrima - Walnut Caterpillar Moth - Hodges#7907

7907

Datana integerrima Grote(1) & Robinson, 1866

Phylogenetic sequence # 930038 (2)

Lafontaine & Schmidt (2010) listed 13 species of the genus Datana in America north of Mexico. (2)

Wingspan 3.5-5.5 cm

Distinguished from other eastern Datana by its bold dark-and-light banding pattern. The PM line and the two median lines are shaded along their outer edges with pale scales, producing this banded look.

Specimen identified by DNA analysis (BOLD). (3)

Heppner (2003) reported the range to include Quebec to Florida(4), Minnesota to Texas. (5)

Records from Arizona refer to D. cochise, which used to be conspecific with D. integerrima.

Deciduous forests

The main flight period is April to October. (6)

Heppner (2003) reported April, July to September, November in Florida. (5)

Larvae feed on hickories, pecan, and walnut.

One generation in northern part of range, up to three in southern.

Egg laying begins in early June. They are laid in masses on the undersides of leaves. The larvae feed in colonies, congregating on the trunk and larger limbs to molt. Full-grown larvae drop to the ground and wander about searching for pupation sites in the soil.(7)

In southern Arizona, Datana cochise, which is extremely similar to D. integerrima, replaces this species.

In the East, the only species that could be confused with D. integerrima is D. contracta. D. contracta tends to have some golden-orange shading along the costa, a heavy peppering of black scales over the entire forewings, and the pale shading along the median lines only present at the inner margin, not reaching the costa.

Covell, p. 329, plate 43 #10 (adult) (8)

Wagner, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests, p. 56--larva (9)

Wagner, Caterpillars of Eastern North America, p. 295--photo of adult (specimen) and caterpillar (10)

Holland, p. 294, plate XL #13 (11)

Powell, J.A. & P.A. Opler, Moths of Western North America, pl. 33, fig. 52; p. 249. (12)

Moth Photographers Group (6)

USDA fact sheet

Caterpillars of Eastern Forests

Maryland Moths

Forestry Images

Canadian Biodiversity

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (3)