DISTRIBUTION:

The Hylesia bouvereti moth (wingspan: males: 39-48mm; females: 53-56mm) flies in
Ecuador: Imbabura, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Napo, Morona-Santiago, Zamora Chinchipe and Loja and probably Pastaza;
Peru: Amazonas, Huanuco, Cusco;
Bolivia: La Paz;
Venezuela: Distrito Federal, Merida, Tachira; and
Colombia: Santander, Valle, Cundinamarca; at elevations from 1300m to 2800m.

The thorax is dark brown to greyish brown while the abdomen is dorsally black with a greyish brown tuft. The rounded, dark brown to black forewing has a convex outer margin. The am and pm lines are a diffuse, dull white with the pm line convex. The submarginal line is indistinct. The discal spot is slightly darker than surrounding areas.

Hylesia bouvereti male, eastern Ecuador, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

Hylesia bouvereti?? male, Tingo Maria, Leoncio Prado, Huanuco, Peru,
38mm, November 2016, 2100ft, courtesy of Anna & Frank West

Hylesia bouvereti male, Los Cedros, Imbabura, Ecuador,
November 2013, 1600m, courtesy of Jean-Marc Gayman,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species probably broods continuously. The natural larval host is unknown.

Hylesia bouvereti female, eastern Ecuador, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

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 deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia bouvereti larvae are highly gregarious and have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae. At maturity, the larvae spin aggregate cocoons.

Hylesia bouvereti life cycle, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

Of the above brood, Kirby Wolfe writes, "I reared Hylesia bouvereti on Prunus sp., probably serotina."

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.

Prunus serotina .......

Wild Blackcherry

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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 bouvereti is honourific for Bouveret.