Hyalophora columbia
Encyclopedia
The Columbia Silkmoth or Larch Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia) is a moth
of the Saturniidae
family. In the east it is found from Quebec
and Ontario
to Michigan
, northern Wisconsin
, and south-eastern Manitoba
. In the west it is found from Alberta
and Montana
south through the Rocky Mountains
to south-western Texas
and into central Mexico
. Glover's Silkmoth, Hyalophora columbia gloveri
, is sometimes considered a separate species.
The wingspan
is 80-100 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July. There is one generation per year.
The larva
e feed on Larix laricina in the eastern part of their range. Furthermore, it has been recorded on in Prunus pensylvanica, Alnus rugosa and Betula papyrifera in western Ontario. In the west they feed on Prunus demissa, Prunus emarginata, Purshia tridentata
, Rosa
, Salix, Shepherdia argentea
, Eleagnus angustifolius and Ceanothus
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Saturniidae
Saturniidae
The Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the moths. They form a family of Lepidoptera, with an estimated 1,300 to 1,500 described species worldwide...
family. In the east it is found from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, northern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and south-eastern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. In the west it is found from Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
south through the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to south-western Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and into central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Glover's Silkmoth, Hyalophora columbia gloveri
Hyalophora gloveri
Glover's Silkmoth is a moth of the Saturniidae family. It is found in the Rocky Mountain states, the western parts of the northern Great Plains, and the Canadian prairie provinces, north-west to at least central Alberta...
, is sometimes considered a separate species.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 80-100 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July. There is one generation per year.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Larix laricina in the eastern part of their range. Furthermore, it has been recorded on in Prunus pensylvanica, Alnus rugosa and Betula papyrifera in western Ontario. In the west they feed on Prunus demissa, Prunus emarginata, Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata
Purshia tridentata is a nitrogen fixing shrub in the genus Purshia, native to mountainous areas of western North America ranging from southeastern British Columbia in the north, east to Montana and south to California and New Mexico...
, Rosa
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
, Salix, Shepherdia argentea
Shepherdia argentea
Shepherdia argentea is a species of Shepherdia, native to central North America from southern Canada south in the United States to northern California and New Mexico.It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–6 m tall...
, Eleagnus angustifolius and Ceanothus
Ceanothus
Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others extending as far south...
.
Subspecies
- Hyalophora columbia columbia
- Hyalophora columbia gloveriHyalophora gloveriGlover's Silkmoth is a moth of the Saturniidae family. It is found in the Rocky Mountain states, the western parts of the northern Great Plains, and the Canadian prairie provinces, north-west to at least central Alberta...
(Rocky Mountains)