DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia hamata (wingspan: males: 40-49mm; females: 60mm) flies in
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Limon, Cartago (CL), Heredia (IB);
Guatemala: Huehuetenango, Guatemala;
Honduras: Cortes;
Panama: Canal Zone; and
western Ecuador: Pichincha.

It is possibly also in El Salvador: and Nicaragua.

The thorax is dark brown to black. The abdomen is generously covered with yellow-orange hairs. In the male, the greyish-brown, falcate forewing has a dark dash in the lower basal area. The apex is produced and darker than most other regions of the wings. There is a weak, diffuse postmedial line and a small weak cell marking. The subterminal line is also diffuse and weak, and, like the pm line, is more grey than brown. The am line is vestigial at best.

HABITAT:

This species flies at elevations of 300m to 1700m on the western slopes of the Andes.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have thus far been taken in June, July and August at elevations between 140m and 1700m.

Larval hosts are unknown.

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.

Hylesia hamata (female), Brazil, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Based on geography and forewing shape and patterning, I am more inclined to think the above specimen is Hylesia rex.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia hamata 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 name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

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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.

In Latin, the word 'hamata' means hooked and here it refers to the shape of the male's forewing apex.