DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia cressida (wingspan: males: 40mm; females: probably larger) flies in Mexico: Morelos: Cuernavaca, at elevations near 1540m.

This species may be the same as Hylesia continua continua. Lemaire indicates the male is indistinguishable from the brown phenotype of Hylesia continua continua.

Thus far it is only reported from Morelos, but specimens from Xico, Veracruz, Mexico, are either H. c. continua or Hylesia cressida.

Hylesia continua continua, Xico, Veracruz, Mexico,
May 1, 2006, courtesy of James Buddenhagen.

Hylesia continua continua, Xico, Veracruz, Mexico,
May 1, 2006, courtesy of James Buddenhagen.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in June and July. There may be additional flight times.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia cressida larvae are probably 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.

Return to Hylesia Index

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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.

The species name cressida is probably from the Trojan War stories, where Cressida plays 'hard to get' when Troilus, a brother of Paris, falls in love with her.

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