About Citheronia splendens Druce, 1886
Citheronia splendens, commonly known as the splendid royal moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Saturniidae. This species was first described by Herbert Druce in 1886. It is distributed from southern Arizona in the United States southward into central and southeastern Mexico. The wingspan of adult splendid royal moths ranges from 106 to 150 millimetres, which equals 4.2 to 5.9 inches. Adult moths are active on the wing from July to August. During its life cycle, female Citheronia splendens lay eggs in groups of 1 to 4 on the sides of plant leaves. Young caterpillars resemble bird droppings, and spend most of their life cycle on leaves, feeding on them in the evening. When caterpillars reach maturity, they also feed during the day, eating leaf petioles or stems. Common host plants for this species include Gossypium thurberi, Rhus trilobata, Arctostaphylos pungens, and Rhus choriophylla. In September, mature caterpillars burrow underground to enter the pupal stage, and develop into adult moths after the pupal stage is complete.
