Actual ranges may, in many cases, be more expansive than noted. On the other hand, habitat loss may be responsible for extirpation of species such as Hemileuca nevadensis
Apologies go out to residents of southeastern
Inyo County. As a result of trying to display maps in a readable size, accompanied
by a checklist of scientific names, the triangular southeastern corner
of Inyo County does not appear on the display,
I have also only listed those species from specific, corresponding
map regions in the active checklists to the right of the maps.
Hemileuca hualapai and Hemileuca juno are only known
from the extreme southern portions of the state. In California, Coloradia velda
is known only from the San Bernardino Mountains; Sphingicampa
hubbardi
also seems limited to the county of San Bernardino, while Saturnia walterorum
is limited to the southwestern counties. Hemileuca electra electra
and Hemileuca electra maojavensis are also exclsively southern
species.
At the other extreme, Hemileuca hera marcata in California is found only in
the Warner Mountains of Modoc County and in northern Siskiyou County.
Clicking on a scientific name will take you to a file with pictures and/or information.
Rodger sent me an image of a female Hyalophora euryalus, camera captured on March 16, 2007, in Tehama County.
Tim Sakuja reports a female H. euryalus at lights on July 6, 2010 around 10.30 pm at Kings Beach [Lake Tahoe], Placer County, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Calosaturnia mendocino King Range, Humboldt County, California,
July 26, 2006, courtesy of Eugene Hamilton.
Central California
David Gaban writes, May 29, 2003,
"I can confirm from personal experience A. polyphemus and
H. euryalus occur in San Benito County, CA."
David also reports he collected a gravid female A. polyphemus
on June 1, 2005 in Gilroy, California (southern Santa Clara Co.).
David acquired about fifty eggs and then released the female.
Larvae hatched about ten days later and are feeeding on weeping willow.
Hernan Espinoza from the Stanford Biochemistry Department confirms with a picture, Antheraea polyphemus June 1, 2003, on the side of the Beckman Building at Stanford in Santa Clara County.
Larry Line confirms Hyalophora euryalus from Big Tree State Park in Calaveras County, and Hyalophora columbia gloveri from Lee Vining in Mono County, early June, 2003.
David Wikle confirms A. polyphemus from Cloverdale in Sonoma County with female taken at lights on August 24, 2003.
Roberta Burns reports Hyalophora euryalus flying in El Dorado County specifically on the peninsula of Folsom Lake on April 19, 2004.
Paul Johnson reports Hyalophora euryalus on the wing in Pinnacles National Monument in San Benito County, CA., March 6, 2008.
Non-member John Hibbard reports Hyalophora euryalus on the wing in Graton, Sonoma County, on April 17, 2010.
Fred Brown sends the following image of Hemileuca eglanterina from Point Lobos State Reserve, Monterey, Montery Co., California.
Southern California
Chris Conlan writes from San Diego County, "Antheraea polyphemus does occur here but it is not common and tends to only be on the wing in spring. I have specimens to prove it that were taken right at my back door. Also, it looks like you have H. juno recorded from San Diego County too, but that is highly doubtful. You can also get Hemileuca electra mojavensis right on the far east end of the county where it borders Imperial County.
There is also a very old record (100 years) for juno from eastern Imperial County, but nothing recent that can be verified."
The records for Hemileuca juno from San Diego County are old ones, possibly inaccurate. If H. juno at one time flew in San Diego County, it is doubtful that it still occurs there or anywhere else in California.
Special thanks to Kelly Richers who supplied and/or confirmed much of the distribution data for this page.
Chris Conlan reports Hemileuca electra electra in Jacumba (San Diego County) in larval stage, late February - early March 2004; Kirby Wolfe reports Saturnia walterorum flying in Escondido (San Diego County) in early March. Both reports have come in via Russell Witkop.
Dave Wikle reports Hyalophora euryalus flying in the San Gabriel Mountains (Los Angeles County), March 13, 2004, at elevations of 3850'. Several males and a female came in to black lights between 8:00 and 9:00 pm.
Clark Thompson confirms Antheraea polyphemus
from Riverside County, near Norco. Clark writes, "I have taken polyphemus moths at
MV light in Riverside Co., near Norco. Most of them came in late,
between 11:30pm and 1:30 am."
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