Spiny oakworm moth
Anisota stigma
The spiny oakworm moth belongs to the silk moth family. Its caterpillars, called spiny oakworms, live mostly on oak trees. The moth's wings are about four and a half centimetres across.
Lives in
Eastern and central North America, from Massachusetts and Ontario to Florida and Texas, in oak woods
Wingspan
4.5 cm (1.8 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. The moth cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars mostly eat oak leaves, and sometimes hazel and basswood.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 8 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 25 seconds
How big is Spiny oakworm moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Spiny oakworm moth about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Of all the moths in its group, it is the only one whose males are known to fly to lights.
2
Its caterpillars are named after the oak trees they eat.
3
It was first described in 1775 by the Danish scientist Fabricius.
you asked
Most asked questions about Spiny oakworm moth
?What does the spiny oakworm eat?
Mostly oak leaves, and sometimes hazel and basswood.
?How big is the spiny oakworm moth?
Its wingspan is about 4.5 centimetres.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Anisota stigma
- Named by
- Fabricius, 1775
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Saturniidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Saturniidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Anisota stigma (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by J.D. Roberts. CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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