Hylesia paulex
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Carlos Mielke (Parana), April 2008
Updated as per Entomo-Satsphingia Jargang 9 Heft 03(A) 06.09.2016; August 9, 2017
Updated as per personal communication with Edson Roberto, (Pindamonhagaba, Sao Paulo) August 18, 2017

Hylesia paulex
Dognin, 1922

Hylesia paulex male, Sao Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
January, 1981, 750m, on my home computer only.

Hylesia paulex male, Pindamonhagaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
August 18, 2017, courtesy of Edson Roberto, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Hylesia paulex male, Bahia, Brazil,
38mm, Frank Meister, on my home computer only.

TAXONOMY:

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

DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia paulex (wingspan: males: 34-39mm; females: 45-47-58mm) flies in
Brazil: Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, Parana (CM), Bahia (ESs).

With lectotype designated for Sao Paulo and confirmation in Bahia by ESs, this species probably also flies in Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.

This moth is very similar to Hylesia canitia, although paulex is smaller and with duller appearance. The thorax is brown and the abdomen is brown, often generously arrayed with yellowish hairs. Lines are thin but distinct and are bordered with whitish-grey, inwardly on the angulate am line and outwardly on the pm line. The forewing cell marking is dark, rounded and quite prominent. The left pm line is very slightly "s-shaped".

Hylesia paulex male, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
March, 1988, on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larval hosts are unknown.

This species probably broods continuously on a three month cycle. Specimen records exist for January, March and 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.

Hylesia paulex female, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
March, 1988, on my home computer only.

Hylesia paulex female, Bahia, Brazil,
45mm, Frank Meister, on my home computer only.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Hylesia paulex 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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