Hemileuca nevadensis

Nevada buck moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Saturniidae
Genus:	Hemileuca
Species:	H. nevadensis
Binomial name
	Hemileuca nevadensis; Stretch (1872)

Hemileuca nevadensis, the Nevada buck moth, is a species in the family Saturniidae.

Description

The female tends to be larger than the male, while males have black abdomens with red tips. The upperside of the wing is creamy white with black edges, each wing has "eyes" or black dots.

Distribution

They range from the west coast all the way east to Wisconsin and Michigan. There have been a few sightings in New York, but not enough to confirm it as a localized species.

Life cycle

There is one brood between September and December during that time the adult will lay eggs in rings around the twigs of the host plant. Once the caterpillars are ready to pupate they spin loose cocoons in plant litter near their host plant.

Larval foods

Salix
Populus

The adults don't feed.

References

"Species Hemileuca nevadensis - Nevada Buck Moth". Iowa State University Entomology. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
"Nevade Buckmoth". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-10-12.

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