DISTRIBUTION:

Hylesia vassali (wingspan: males: 35-39mm; females: 54mm) flies in
French Guiana: Kaw, Cayenne, Regina, Nancibo, Coralie, Belizon, Sinnamary, Cacao.

In the male, the am line is strongly angled inwardly at the cubitus, but is then outwardly oblique to the inner margin.

Hylesia vassali male, All Leps Barcode of Life,
on my home computer only.

At the time of Lemaire' publication of Hemileucinae, 2002, there were five species/subspecies included in the SUBGROUP of Hylesia praeda:
Hylesia rufipes LT; Limon, Costa Rica; Nicaragua;
Hylesia praeda HT: near Loja, Ecuador; Panama; French Guiana; Guyana; Venezuela; Colombia; Peru and Brazil;
Hylesia praeda nigra HT: La Paz, Bolivia;
Hylesia index LT: Carabaya, Puno, Peru; Venezuela; eastern Ecuador: Madre de Dios; eastern Peru; Bolivia: Cochabamba; La Paz (ESs);
Hylesia haxairei HT: Bolivar, Venezuela; French Guiana; Brazil: Para.

As of 2016, Brechlin and Meister have expanded the group to 15 species. H. praeda nigra has been elevated to full species status as Hylesia nigra HT La Paz; Bolivia. Hylesia rubriprocta, HT eastern Colombia: Meta; probably Antioquia and Santander; formerly synonymized with praeda, is given full species status.

H. frederici HT Roura, Kaw, French Guiana and H. vassali HT Piste de Nancibo, French Guiana, formerly in a group of their own, are now in the Hylesia praeda subgroup.

Hylesia rufex LT Brazil: Minas Gerais; Rio de Janeiro; Santa Catarina; and Paraguay: Itapua and Guaira. has also been added to the subgroup.

Six new species have been added to the group based on DNA barcoding analysis:

H. praednapoana HT: Ecuador: Napo: Rio Hollin;
H. praedpichinchensis HT: Ecuador: Pichincha: Los Bancos;
H. praedjunensis HT Peru: Junin: San Ramon;
H. praedperuana HT Peru: Huanuco: Panguana; Cusco: Mandor and Asunsion; Madre de Dios: Puerto Maldonado and Malinosque and Salvasion;
H. praedguiana HT French Guiana: Cayenne: Kaw Mountain area;
H. inducayalex HT Peru: Ucayali; Puerto Bermudes.

Visit Hylesia praeda Group: Comparison Table.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larval hosts are unknown.

This species probably broods continuously on a three month cycle. Specimens have been taken in April-May, July, October-November.

Hylesia vassali, male, July, 1987, Nancibo, French Guiana,
Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

Hylesia vassali, female, October, 1987, Kaw, French Guiana,
Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen, and the night-flying males pickup 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 vassali 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 following image(s) may or may not appear on your monitor, depending upon whether or not I get permission from respective photographers/owners to display them. I do have permission for my own private use.

Hylesia vassali male, Cacao, French Guiana,
June 9, 1997, collection of Rodolphe Rougerie, photo copyright Rene Lahousse,
French Guiana Systematique,
on my home computer only.

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