Species › Insects & Arthropods › Calleta Silkmoth

Calleta Silkmoth

Eupackardia calleta

UncommonInsect & Arthropod
Illustration of Calleta Silkmoth (Eupackardia calleta)

The Calleta Silkmoth is a large, beautiful silkmoth of the Sonoran Desert with bold black-and-white striped wings decorated with red and blue eyespots. It is the desert counterpart of the Cecropia Silkmoth. Like all silkmoths, adults do not feed and live only to reproduce. Its striking caterpillar bears colorful tubercles and feeds on desert shrubs.

Habitat
Sonoran Desert scrub and desert washes with ocotillo and other shrubs
Diet
Larvae: ocotillo, desert willow, and shrubs. Adults: do not feed
How common
Uncommon

Best time to see a Calleta Silkmoth

The best time to see a Calleta Silkmoth is October–March, when about 62% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 989 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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