Hylesia colimatifex
Updated as per Heppner's Checklist: Part 4B 1996, December 8, 2005
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, December 8, 2005
Updated as per foodplant via personal communication with Alfonso Pescador, December 8, 2005

Hylesia colimatifex
hye-LEES-ee-uhMkoh-lee-MAGH-tih-fex
Dyar, 1926

Hylesia colimatifex female (Mexico) courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Hylesia, Hubner, [1820]

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Hylesia colimatifex moth (wingspan: males: 31-43mm; females: 54-60mm) flies in Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Oaxaca along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Hylesia colimatifex male (Mexico) courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths have been observed in January-February, April-May-June, and September through December, sugesting at least three broods annually.

According to Alfonso Pescador, larvae feed on Guazuma ulmifolia, a member of the Sterculiaceae family.

This species probably broods continuously on a three month cycle.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen, and the males pick up and track the airbourne pheromone plume with their well-developed antennae.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia colimatifex larvae are highly gregarious and have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae.

Larval Food Plants


It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Guazuma ulmifolia .......

Mutamba

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

I do not know the origin of the genus name Hylesia.

I do not know the origin of the species name colimatifex, but it is probably derived from the specimen type locality of Colima, Mexico.


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