Datana major
Encyclopedia
The Major Datana or Azalea Caterpillar (Datana major) is a moth
of the Notodontidae
family. It is found from Maryland
to Florida
, west to Kansas
and Arkansas
.
The wingspan
is 40-50 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August. Normally, there is one generation per year, although there may be a partial second generation in the southern part of the range.
The larvae mainly feed on Rhododendron
and Andromeda polifolia, but have also been recorded on apple, blueberry and Red Oak. First instar larvae feed in a cluster side by side. Young larvae skeletonize the leaves and the larger ones eat the entire leaf.
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 Notodontidae
Notodontidae
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,500 known species. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, especially in the New World...
family. It is found from Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, west to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
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 40-50 mm. Adults are on wing from June to August. Normally, there is one generation per year, although there may be a partial second generation in the southern part of the range.
The larvae mainly feed on Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
and Andromeda polifolia, but have also been recorded on apple, blueberry and Red Oak. First instar larvae feed in a cluster side by side. Young larvae skeletonize the leaves and the larger ones eat the entire leaf.