DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia melanops (wingspan: males: 39-44mm; females: 48 (B&M)-58-68mm) flies in
eastern Ecuador: Napo, Morona-Santiago and probably Pastaza; and
Peru: Huanuco, Cusco; and in
Bolivia: La Paz.

Specimens have been taken at elevations from 310m to 1000m.

The thorax, legs and abdomen are all dark brown, the abdomen slightly lighter with some yellow hairs. The broad, uniformly brown forewing is apically rounded with a slightly convex outer margin. There are no markings except for sometimes a vague suggestion of a cell spot. The hindwing is also brown and devoid of markings. This moth might be the same as H. athlia. If there is a distinction, it would be the slightly more pronounced markings of athlia.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larval hosts are unknown.

Specimens have been taken in January-February and again in November. I would not be surprised to learn there is an egg diapause from March until August.

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.

Brechlin and Meister recognize Hylesia melanops as a distinct species, 2016, and provide the following image from Morona-Santiago, Ecuador.

Hylesia melanops female, 48mm, Morona-Satiago, Ecuador,
Frank Meister, on my home computer only.

Perhaps?? melanops is replaced in other South American countries by recently described very similar species such as nautex in central eastern Peru, and sucumbex in northern eastern Ecuador: Sucumbios, and eastern Colombia: Meta. Lemaire's image for La Paz, Bolivia, is questioned as a valid melanops. The holotype of melanops is Napo, Ecuador.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably deposited in large clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia melanops 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.

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.

I do not know the reason for the species name "melanops", but it could be for the very dark brown labial palpi, frons, thorax and legs.