Hyalophora kasloensis
hye-uh-lah-FOR-uhmmkaz-loh-ENS-ihs
Cockerell, 1914

Hyalophora kasloensis male, courtesy of Scott Smith

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 or Attacinae, Blanchard,1840 Tribe: Attacini, Blanchard, 1841 Genus: Hyalophora, Duncan, 1841

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DISTRIBUTION:

Hyalophora kasloensis (wingspan 10.5-12 cm), explained by Tuskes, Tuttle and Collins as a self-sustaining hybridization of euryalus and columbia gloveri, flies in the area of Kaslo, British Columbia, and throughout the Bitterroot range in Idaho and Montana.

Hyalophora kasloensis?? male, Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada,
courtesy of Steve Ife.

Larvae from the Shuswap area of British Columbia display the reddish abdominal scoli of H. kasloensis, but I am not sure they show enough dark grey to black scaling in the postmedial areas. There are probably intergrades throughout much of British Columbia.

Specimens from the different regions show considerable variation in the shape of the discal spot in the lower wing. Characteristic, however, is the dark ground colour and the general diffusion of black scales in the postmedial band.

Hyalophora kasloensis female, June 11, 2007, Spokane, Washington,
wild caught at lights, courtesy of Scott Smith.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth flies in mountain habitats from late May throughout June. Temperatures can be extremely cold and the moth is able to fly at temperatures as low as 3 degrees C.

Larvae feed on Prunus demissa (Western Chokecherry) and Ceanothus sanguineus and probably Shepherdia canadensis (Soapberry).

Hyalophora kasloensis male, courtesy of Scott Smith

Both Derek Bridgehouse (Nova Scotia) and Bill Oehlke (PEI) had success rearng this "species" on Prunus pensylvanica, Pin Cherry.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adults will pair readily in cages, and calling females successfully attract males even on very cold nights.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Early instars resemble other Hyalophora species: Instars 1 and 2 are identical to euryalus and gloveri. Instar 3 is virtually indistinguishable from columbia while instar 4 looks like a dark gloveri. It is the fifth instar which distinguishes this species -- all of the dorsal scoli are orange to coral red. Photo courtesy of Scott Smith.

The cocoon possesses the ridges and silvery bands of gloveri but is somewhat looser as in euryalus. A prolonged deep freeze is required before development will proceed in the spring. Without the deep freeze, pupae have been known to spend an extra winter in diapause.

I recently (January 2008) asked Scott Smith, who has considerable experience with this species, about the statement above, calling for a "prolonged deep freeze".

Scott writes, "Any temps dipping below freezing for several months are fine. They emerge when the temps move into the upper 50's and low 60's.

" When I light trap females (10-11pm flight period), I can usually see my breath at night. Most emerge around here in mid May to Mid June, peaking the last week of May most years. Refrigerator storage is fine, no problem.

"Larva do best if reared in early spring when temps are down. Mid to late summer broods typically get stressed and suffer from disease due to excess heat. For this reason I bring cocoons out of storage as soon as the last snow melts in the valleys and let them time with local population emergence. I take the first ova of the year, sleeve them as ova, and they go through fine; later rearing is usually a mess."

Scott Smith writes (June 2007) "Crowding, hot humid conditions, or rearing on cut food is near certain death for these from disease in late 5th instar.

"These like being sleeved in low density (4-5 5th instar larva per 6 foot sleeve) on living food plant such as cherry, birch or willow. I've never had much success doing it any other way.

"Many previous buyers stubbornly try other methods only to get a bunch of larva near pupation before they all expire."

Hyalophora kasloensis, Sula and Missoula, Montana,
July 7, 1991, courtesy of Jim Tuttle.

Visit Hyalophora kasloensis larva, courtesy of Marius Aurelian.

Hyalophora kasloensis, Prince George, British Columbia,
courtesy of Michele Jensen.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant and possible alternate food plants listed in Tuskes, Tuttle, and Collins' The Wild Silk Moths of North America. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Ceanothus cordulatus Ceanothus integerrimus Ceanothus sanguineus Ceanothus velutinus Elaeagnus augustifolius Prunus demissa Prunus emarginata Prunus pensylvanica DB/WO ....... Pseudotsoga menziesii Rhamnus pershiana Rhamnus rubra Shepherdia argentia Shepherdia candensis Salix exigua

Mountain white thorn Deer brush Ceanothus Snowbrush Russian olive Western chokechery Bitter cherry Pin Cherry Douglas fir Cascara Buckthorn Silver buffalo berry Soap berry Sandbar willow

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Goto Robert Vandermoor specimens

The specimens sent to me by Robert Vandermoor, including the one from Lytton, British Columbia, are also quite dark. Most of the specimens are from Kamloops, due south of Heffley Creek.

Steve Ife sent me a series of dark specimens from Boston Bar, Lytton and Heffley Creek, British Columbia (posted in H. euryalus file) which show much darker colouration from what would be experienced in H. euryalus from southern California. I indicated to Steve that they seemed to fall into the range/variability of the northern populations of H. euryalus. A couple of those specimens, however, would probably meet the "criteria" for H. kasloensis.

I would like to see any variability which might occur in offspring from wild stock from the Kaslo area. Colder regions sometimes produce darker specimens than would normally be found in more temperate regions.

I suspect there is considerable genetic mixing between H. euryalus and H. columbia gloveri where the ranges of both species overlap.