Attributes of Hemileuca burnsi

Burns' buckmoth
Hemileuca burnsi J.H. Watson, 1910
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Abdomen is yellowish and may have red or black bands. Upperside of wings is off-white or cream colored; forewing has black zigzag submarginal and submedian bands, and a large black-outlined spot. Hindwing of female has a black zigzag submarginal band; band may be weak or absent in the male.
Wing Span: 2 1/16 - 2 11/16 inches (5.3 - 6.9 cm).
Life History: Females lay clumps of eggs on host plants, but the eggs do not completely encircle the twigs. Eggs overwinter and hatch in February or March. Young caterpillars feed in groups and when they are older they feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars wander around and then pupate in a loose cocoon under plant debris or in loose sandy soil.
Flight: One brood from August-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Longspine horsebrush (Tetradymia axillaris), littleleaf horsebrush (T. glabrata), Fremont indigo bush (Dalea fremontii), and desert almond (Prunus fasciculata).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: High desert, alluvial fans, and arroyos.
Range: Mojave Desert of California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Hemileuca burnsi

Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.

Hemileuca burnsi - hemiburn.jpg

Hemileuca burnsi - hemiburn.jpg

See photographs of other species in the Image Gallery.

Note: All images on this web site are copyrighted, and they cannot be copied, reproduced, or used in any way without the author's permission. Usage fees may be charged. Contact the individual photographer for permission.

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.

The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Apache County, Arizona, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Coconino County, Arizona, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Mohave County, Arizona, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Yavapai County, Arizona, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Inyo County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Kern County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Los Angeles County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Mono County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Nevada County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter San Bernardino County, California, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Clark County, Nevada, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Washoe County, Nevada, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Washington County, Utah, United States December 31, 2004 Details
April 11, 1975 legacy.reporter (Kenneth C. Hansen) Mohave County, Arizona, United States January 28, 2009 Details