DISTRIBUTION:

Hemileuca burnsi, (wingspan: males: 45-54mm; females: 50-66mm), flies in portions of the Mojave Desert in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Hemileuca burnsi male, Los Angeles County, California, copyright Kirby Wolfe

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species flies from late August to early November. Tetradymia axillaris and T. glabrata are the favorite host plants of the larvae.

Hemileuca burnsi male, San Bernardino Co., California,
45mm, October 23, 1987, courtesy/copyright of Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Hemileuca burnsi (female), California, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosions take place in the morning and females call from 3:30 pm until dusk. Pairing with the slightly smaller males is very brief, usually from 30 minutes to two hours. Females make their ovipositing flights in the twilight hours and usually deposit from 15-50 ova in numerous clusters on supporting twigs.

Russell Witkop has sent an interesting series of images, including habitat, foodplant, pheromone cage and males.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE: Larvae hatch in February and March and are highly gregarious and black in the first instar. Larvae wander and become solitary feeders in the final stages. Image courtesy of Bedros Orchanian. Bedros reports first instar larvae, March 13, 2004.

This final instrar larva shows the urticating spines which can give a nasty sting. Image courtesy of Bedros Orchanian. Pupation is on the surface in a chamber fashioned under loose debris. Most pupae eclose that fall but some overwinter for several years.

Hemileuca burnsi female, Phelan, San Bernadino County, California,
September 17, 2011, courtesy of Bedros Orchanian.

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 Worldwide Index

Return to Hemileuca Genus

Goto Canada - U. S. A. Index