Bug FAQPine-devil Moth
Citheronia sepulcralis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Saturniidae
The pine-devil moth (Citheronia sepulcralis) is a Nearctic Saturniid whose adults are blackish-brown and do not feed. Its caterpillars are also black or brown with black markings, hatch in about a week, feed right away, and later burrow underground to pupate before the adult emerges in late morning. Adults fly from March through October depending on latitude, with northern broods in June-July and southern ones from April-June.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are blackish brown in color. Caterpillars are black or brown with black markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
When ready to pupate, the caterpillars burrow underground.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adult moths have reduced mouthparts and do not feed.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The pupae are smooth and elongated; adults typically emerge in the late morning.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In the northern United States, adults fly during June and July. In southern states they are on the wing from April through June, and in Florida from March through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Citheronia sepulcralis is a Nearctic member of the Saturniidae family, native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I expect to see pine-devil moths?
In the north they appear in June-July, while in the south they are active from April-June, and in Florida they may be seen from March through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Do adult pine-devil moths feed?
No, adult moths have reduced mouthparts and do not feed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are pine-devil moths found?
They occur in several eastern U.S. states, including Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, and Maine.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Saturniidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citheronia_sepulcralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.