Aglossa Cuprina - Research

Research

Research on the species' life cycle has yet to be completed, but it has been shown to have a similar life cycle to that of Aglossa caprealis. A. caprealis lays an average of 60-300 eggs during a single reproductive cycle. The eggs are commonly laid on overhanging supports. The time it takes for the eggs to hatch is temperature dependent and take between 2–14 days to hatch.

Once the eggs have hatched, the larvae will remain in the larval stage for approximately 2–41 weeks before pupating. The larval stage prefers to live in dark secluded environments, and creates flexible tubular galleries where they spend the majority of their larval stage. The galleries are supported by silken fibers produced by the larvae.

Prior to pupation, the larvae leave their galleries and disperse to a suitable location. They entangle themselves with a loose, tough silken cover that they interweave with nearby material. The nearby materials provide structure to the silken covering and camouflage the moth while it undergoes metamorphosis. The duration spent in each stage of development is temperature dependent. The life cycle of A. cuprina has been recorded to range from approximately 12 months to over 2 years depending on weather and temperature conditions. The imago, adult insect, stage emerges in early summer and inhabits the northeastern and southeastern portions of the United States.