Hylesia lineata
hye-LEES-ee-uhMlih-nee-AY-tuh
Druce, 1884

Hylesia lineata moth courtesy of Leroy Simon.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@pei.sympatico.ca
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia lineata (wingspan: males: 38-44mm; females: 45-61mm) flies in
Mexico: San Luis Potosi, Puebla, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo;
Belize: Cayo;
Guatemala: Zacapa, Huehuetenango, El Peten;
Honduras: Cortes, Atlantida (RL);
El Salvador: Ahuachapan;
Nicaragua: ;
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, San Jose, Cartago, Puntarenas (CL), Alajuela (IB); and
Panama: Chiriqui.

Dan Janzen reports this moth as a dry forest species in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

HABITAT:

This species flies in deciduous forests, and it has been recorded from sea level to 2000m.

Hylesia lineata male, La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras,
38mm, February 9, 2008, 120m, courtesy of Robert Lehman, id by Bill Oehlke.

Hylesia lineata and Hylesia subaurea are quite similar. Both fly in Honduras. I have gone with H. lineata for the above specimen due to size (38mm) and elevation (120m). Hylesia subaurea tend to be larger (males 41-46mm) and fly at elevations from 1300-1650m.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species appears to be bivoltine in Costa Rica with diapause in the egg stage during the dry season (November-early May). Adults have been taken in November and July.

Robert Lehman reports a February flight in Honduras.

Hylesis lineata larvae feed at night on a great variety of trees.

Hylesia lineata female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen. Males use highly developed antennae to track the airbourne pheromone to locate the females.

OVA, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in layers in one large, hair-covered cluster. Larvae are highly gregarious.This cluster of first instar larvae is not unusual. In the second instar larvae have black heads and orangey-yellow spines on a green body.

Urticating spines offer the Hylesia lineata larvae much protection, and stinging caterpillars must be handled with great care. Photo courtesy of Leroy Simon.

There is considerable change in body colouration as the larvae develop. Larvae of this genus spin cocoons. Photo courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Listed below are the primary and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. 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.

Acacia baileyana Acacia tenuifolia Allophyllus occidentalis Banisteriopsis muricata Bauhinia ungulata Bombacopsis quinatum Byrsonima crassifoila Byttneria aculeata B. catalpaefolia Calliandra emarginata Calycophyllum candidissimum........ Caseara arguta Caseara sylvestris Cassia biflora Chomelia spinosa Cordia alliodora Cordia corymbosa Cupania guatemalensis Dalbergia retusa Diphysa robiniodes Enterolobium cyclocarpum Erythroxylum havanense Glericidia sepium Gouania polygama Guazuma ulmifolia Guettarda macrosperma Hirtella racemosa Hymenaea courbaril Hyptis pectinata Inga vera Lantana camara Lonchocarpus minimiflorus L. costaricensis Luehea speciosa Lysiloma auritum Machaerium kegelii Malvaviscus arboreus Mimosa pigra Muntingia calabura Myrospermum frutescens Ouratea lucens Paullinia cururu Persea americana Pithecellobium lanceolatum...... Psidium guineense Robinia pseudoacacia Stigmaphyllon elliticum Serjania schiedeana Tabebuia rosea Urvillea ulmacea Xanthoxylum seulosum Zuelania guidonia

Bailey's acacia Acacia Palo blanco Banisteriopsis muricata Bauhinia ungulata Bombacopsis quinatum Nanche Tezak/Zarza Tezak/Zarza Powder puff Degame Caseara arguta Caseara sylvestris Cassia Chomelia spinosa Apacahuite /Trompillo Cordia Sacpom/Grande betty Dalbergia retusa Diphysa robiniodes Orejon/Elephant's ear Coca Nicarauan cocoa-shade Jaboncillo Guacima/Bay cedar Guettarda macrosperma pigeonplum West Indian locust Hyptis pectinata Inga vera Yellow sage Cabbagebark Cabbagebark Luehea speciosa Quiebracha Machaerium kegelii Wax mallow Zarza Jamaica cherry/Strawberry tree Myrospermum frutescens Ouratea lucens Guarana Avocado Blackbead Guava Black locust/False acacia Stigmaphyllon elliticum Serjania schiedeana Palo de rosa Apaac Prickly ash Tamay

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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.

The species name "lineata" probably refers to the distinct line markings on the forewings.

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