New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732
Hemileuca lucina
This record describes Hemileuca lucina (species). Recorded family: Saturniidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Adults of this species always emerge earlier than Buck Moth ( H. maia ). Caterpillars have stinging hairs and can deliver a painful sting if handled.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Bombycoidea
- Family
- Saturniidae (Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths)
- Subfamily
- Hemileucinae
- Tribe
- Hemileucini
- Genus
- Hemileuca
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Very local in boggy or wet meadows in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Covell, 1984).
Seasonal Activity
Adults emerge in late September (Stamp & Bowers, 1990).
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Covell states that the larval hosts are broadleaf spiraea and oaks. Stamp & Bowers, however, report that they are specialists on white meadowsweet ( Spiraea alba var. latifolia ). BugGuide comments indicate that later instar larvae are known to feed on oaks and other plants.
Life History
In September egg masses are deposited around stems of the host. Eggs hatch in May about one week after the host plant buds. Larvae feed gregariously in progressively smaller groups as they get larger individually. By late June the mature larvae tunnel underground to pupate and remain there throughout the summer. Adults emerge in late September to breed and deposit eggs. This species is subject to boom and bust cycles depending largely on the ammount of sunshine after their early-spring emergence. Larvae that devolop faster during good weather avoid the predation of stink bugs and parasitaztion by wasps and flies that appear later in the spring (Stamp & Bowers, 1990).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Hemileuca lucina. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by tom murray; Additional contributions by anitagould , Abigail Parker , Randy Hardy
Frequently Asked Questions About New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732
What is New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732?
New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 (Hemileuca lucina) is a species in the family Saturniidae, within the order Lepidoptera.
Where is New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 found?
Range: Very local in boggy or wet meadows in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Covell, 1984).
What does New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 eat?
The diet of the New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 includes Covell states that the larval hosts are broadleaf spiraea and oaks. Stamp & Bowers, however, report that they are specialists on white meadowsweet ( Spiraea alba var. latifolia ). BugGuide comments indicate that later instar larvae are known to feed on oaks and other plants..
When is New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732 active?
New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732: seasonal activity - Adults emerge in late September (Stamp & Bowers, 1990)..
What is the life cycle of a New England Buck Moth - Hodges#7732?
In September egg masses are deposited around stems of the host. Eggs hatch in May about one week after the host plant buds. Larvae feed gregariously in progressively smaller groups as they get larger individually. By late June the mature larvae tunnel underground to pupate and remain there throughout the summer. Adults emerge in late September to breed and deposit eggs. This species is subject to boom and bust cycles depending largely on the ammount of sunshine after their early-spring emergence. Larvae that devolop faster during good weather avoid the predation of stink bugs and parasitaztion by wasps and flies that appear later in the spring (Stamp & Bowers, 1990).