Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Slosser's buckmoth
Hemileuca slosseri Peigler & Stone, 1989


Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Male abdomen is black with a red tip, female abdomen is black and may have red bands, but not a red tip. Wings are translucent. Upperside of wings is gray with narrow black borders and black wing bases. Each wing has a wide white band and a small eyespot.
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 5/16 inches (6.4 - 8.4 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in early morning and mate between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Females lay eggs in rings around host twigs in the late afternoon. The eggs overwinter and hatch in April, and caterpillars feed together 1-2 feet off the ground. Fully-grown caterpillars spin loose cocoons in leaf litter under the host. Most of these will emerge as adults in the fall, but some may delay emergence for up to 2 years.
Flight: One brood. Most flight records are from November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Oaks (Quercus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Rolling sand plains.
Range: West Texas, western Oklahoma, and southeastern New Mexico.
Conservation: Populations should be inventoried to determine conservation status.
NCGR: GU - Unable to assign rank due to lack of available information.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL