The eggs of "A. californica" are green. They are laid singly on tips of leaves of oak plants (genus "Quercus"), on the upper surface. There are five larval instars. The first instar hatches from the egg after eleven days. It is olive green with pale flecks and a mottled light and dark brown head. It builds leaf perches from the leaf midrib, like the larvae of other members of the genus. After nine days, it molts into the second instar which is green with various shades of brown and a light brown head. After eight days it molts again into the third instar which is a pale brownish yellow covered densely in yellowish conical tubercles. It also has developing scoli (horn-like protrusions) each tipped with four to five black spines. The head is a pale green with four vertical brown stripes and also covered with tubercles. The fourth instar develops after four days and is a light reddish brown with greenish sides, yellowish tubercles, and fully developed scoli as well as new developing ones. It molts after nine days into the last instar which is olive green with brown undersides and legs, it is densely covered with yellowish tubercles (particularly at the bottom surfaces). All segments now possess scoli, some bearing white thick conical spines with black tips. The head is brown to pale brown, flattened and smooth, with a double row of long yellowish-white spines at the sides and a pair of black dorsal spines. The second to fifth instars all adopt a front-arched-rear-up posture when resting. After fourteen days, the final instar will pupate. The pupa is pale brown to pale golden yellow with streaks and patches of dark brown and metallic gold. It is attached to tree trunks by a large silken web. The adults emerge after 10 days. The total development time from egg to adult is sixty-five days.