Citheronia regalis, commonly known as the regal moth or royal walnut moth, is native to the eastern United States. Adult regal moths are large with wings that are mix of grey, orange, and green with yellow spots. The caterpillar of this species, often called the hickory horned devil, is usually green with long, curved horns behind the head and smaller spines down the body.
Transcript:
RUDY MANCKE:
Hi, this is Rudy Mancke from University of South Carolina for Nature Notes.
Norman Moore, who lives in Rutherford County, North Carolina, sent me a photograph of something that he wanted to identify: a couple of moths, big ones, that were mating. And I had never seen regal moths mating.
They're also known as royal walnut moths. They're beautifully marked. Th markings on the wings, the mix of colors — it's a nice sort of yellowish with some orange thrown in.
The caterpillar is bizarro. It's a really big one, sort of glossy green with hooks on the front of the body, like little horns. No problem to people, but we call it a hickory horned devil. It's usually one brood a year and the caterpillars feed on leaves of hickory, walnut, sweetgum, sumac, and they're found all over the Carolinas.
