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Species Detail

Hualapai buckmoth

Hemileuca hualapai (Neumoegen, 1882)

JPG -- species photo

Attributes of Hemileuca hualapai


Family: Wild Silk Moths (Saturniidae)

Subfamily: Buck and Io Moths (Hemileucinae)

Identification: Abdomen of both sexes is red. Upperside of wings is beige with a pink tint. Forewing has a yellow-orange costa and a faint median band.

Life history: After mating in the early evening, females deposit eggs in rings around grass stems. Eggs hatch in late July to early August, and young caterpillars feed in large groups. Caterpillars develop rapidly and in September they pupate in loose cocoons spun among grass stems, at the base of grass clumps, or in leaf litter on the ground. Cocoons overwinter.

Flight: One flight from April-May.

Wing span: 2 - 3 1/16 inches (5.1 - 7.7 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Grama (Bouteloua) and other grasses.

Adult food: Adults do not feed.

Habitat: Semidesert juniper-oak grasslands.

Range: Southcentral Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Conservation: Populations should be inventoried to determine conservation status.

NatureServe Global Status: GU - Unable to assign rank due to lack of available information.

Management needs: None reported.

Documented Records for Hemileuca hualapai



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