Attributes of Hemileuca lucina

New England buckmoth
Hemileuca lucina Hy. Edwards, 1887
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Females are larger than males. Male abdomen is black with a red tip, female abdomen is black. Upperside of wings is gray with narrow black borders, black at the wing bases, and wide translucent white bands.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/8 inches (4.5 - 6 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in the early morning and mate in the early afternoon. Females lay eggs circling a main stem that will expose the eggs to sun. Eggs overwinter and hatch in the spring. Young caterpillars feed in clusters and older ones feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars wander and make loose cocoons in leaf litter or a few inches underground in soft soil.
Flight: One brood from September-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Oaks (Quercus), wild black cherry (Prunus serotina), willows (Salix), gray birch (Betula populifolia), and blueberry (Vaccinium).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Wet meadows and open fields.
Range: Southern Maine, New Hampshire, southeastern Vermont, and Massachusetts.
Conservation: Populations should be inventoried and monitored to determine conservation status.
NCGR: GU - Unable to assign rank due to lack of available information.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Hemileuca lucina

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Hemileuca lucina - 2814_24.jpg

Hemileuca lucina - 2814_24.jpg

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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.

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Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
July 06, 2012 dendroica5 Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States July 24, 2012 Details
June 19, 2012 muscari Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States July 08, 2012 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Tolland County, Connecticut, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Windham County, Connecticut, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Essex County, Massachusetts, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Hancock County, Maine, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Kennebec County, Maine, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Oxford County, Maine, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Penobscot County, Maine, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter York County, Maine, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Windham County, Vermont, United States December 31, 2004 Details