Hemileuca maia
| Hemileuca maia | ||||||||||||
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Hemileuca maia , male |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hemileuca maia | ||||||||||||
| ( Drury , 1773) |
Hemileuca maia is occurring in North America butterfly from the family of saturniidae (Saturniidae).
description
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 50 to 75 millimeters. The females are slightly larger than the males. The species is characterized by a low sexual dimorphism . In both sexes, the base color on the upper sides of the wings is black. All wings are thinly scaled. A white band extends through the discal region on the upper side of the forewing , which widens and continues on the hind wings. Crescent-shaped yellow discal spots stand out on the fore and hind wings . Thorax and abdomen are furry black-gray, the head is hairy whitish. The end of the abdomen is only provided with bushy red-brown hairs in the males. The antennae of the males are combed on both sides, those of the females are thread-shaped. A proboscis is missing.
Caterpillar
Young caterpillars are dark brown in color and prickly. When fully grown, they take on a gray-brown to red-brown color and show a marbling made up of many very small white dots. The entire length of the body is covered with highly branched thorns.
distribution and habitat
Hemileuca maia is widespread in the eastern United States . The distribution area extends from Maine to Florida and in the west to Texas . The species colonizes oak forests and is increasingly found in oak avenues and parks in large cities.
Way of life
The diurnal moths of Hemileuca maia fly in one generation from September to November, in Florida also in December. They do not eat any food. The females lay the eggs at levels around branches, much like also native to Europe Ringelspinner ( Malacosoma neustria ). The eggs overwinter. Young caterpillars hatch in March and initially live gregariously, fully grown they live individually, but form long chains when they move towards the ground to pupate. Pupation then takes place between May and June about three to five centimeters below the surface of the earth. Sometimes the dolls linger for several years. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of various oak species ( Quercus ), including bush oak ( Quercus ilicifolia ), Virginia oak ( Quercus virginiana ), black oak ( Quercus marilandica ) and Quercus prinoides . Although they by parasitic wasps (Ichneumonidae) polyhedrosis virus suffer or other parasites sometimes significant losses, the population of the species is not endangered. The branched thorns on the body of the caterpillars contain poisonous substances to protect against predators, u. a. Histamine . Contact with the caterpillars can cause severe itchy skin irritation and allergies in humans, which can last for several days. In cities like Baton Rouge or New Orleans , where oak trees dominate parks and avenues, the caterpillars were at times a nuisance for people and pets. The skin irritations are similar to those caused in Europe by the stinging hairs of the processionary caterpillars (Thaumetopoeinae).
Individual evidence
- ^ Butterflies and Moths of North America
- ↑ a b Markku Savela: Tanaecia Butler, (1869) - distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Accessed January 31, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d TD Schowalter and DR Ring: Biology and Management of the Buck Moth Hemileuca maia (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) , Journal of Integrated Pest Management, Volume 8, No. 1, 2017, pp. 1–4
- ^ Paul M. Tuskes, James P. Tuttle, and Michael M. Collins: The Wild Silk Moths of North America , Cornell University Press, ISBN 0-8014-3130-1 , 1996, p. 54
Web links
- Buck moth Featured Creatures Web site - Information from the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Iowa State University BugGuide Photos and Taxonomy