DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia maurex (wingspan: males: 39-46mm; females: 49-58mm) flies in
southeastern Brazil: Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Parana (CM), usually at elevations from 850-1300m.

The male thorax, legs, abdomen and anal tuft are black. The chestnut brown to dark brown forewing is not apically produced and is generally broader and more rounded than in similar species. The pm line is slightly convex, the cell spot is rounded. Overall, lines and markings are weak without strong contrast.

Hylesia maurex female, Itanhandu southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 12, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Hylesia maurex female, Itanhandu southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 12, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Hylesia maurex female, Itanhandu southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 12, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

I have tentatively identified the female depicted above as Hylesia maurex, primarily due to absence of yellow-gold tuft at tip of abdomen. It is possible that the tuft hairs were lost during ovipositing, and the female could therefore be either Hylesia remex or Hylesia oratex, although oratex is supposed to be chestnut brown instead of the dark brown ascribed to maurex, and the dark brown to grey black ascribed to remex.

It is somewhat surprising to me that in Lemaire's description of remex, he mentions the female remex as being "dark brown", but when he describes the oratex female as "chestnut brown", he indicates that colour helps to distinguish it from the "blackish gray" colour of remex. Allowing the same latitude with the colouration of maurex, and the absence of the golden anal tuft of remex, I have gone with a diagnosis of maurex. I could be wrong.

Hylesia subcana and Hylesia falcifera cannot be absolutely ruled out either. All five species are anticipated in the same general area.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in January-February-March and in December, suggesting at least two broods.

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.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia maurex 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.

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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 reason for the species name "maurex".